Chapter Nineteen: Gaijin
It's always the things you forget about, Naru grumbled to herself as she prepared herself for her trip. She had planned for Haruka to drive her to the airport to pick up her friend, Park Hyun-Sil, who had been such a great support during "the troubles" on Pararakelse. That was the plan made on Christmas. But that was before the "troubles" with Kitsune's wreck. Somebody needed to be with Kitsune, so either all three would have to go or Naru would need to arrange other transportation.
But that isn't fair to Kitsune, is it? Since Kitsune was worried about paying off her fine, Naru didn't want to take her away from her tea shop and cause more financial distress. And then there was the difficulty dislodging her friend from Hinata House at all. Kitsune was self-conscious of her broken nose, though her doctor and Mutsumi had assured her that the bandages for that should come off tomorrow. Her broken arm probably wouldn't be out of its sling until March.
She looked outside at the weather. It was one of the rainy days in January, with reports calling for a high of 5° C, so it wasn't going to snow. No danger of slipping then. She ran through her options. Too bad she couldn't fly into Haneda airport. I guess I can take the train to Narita. I hate to make her go by train back though and a taxi is going to be expensive. I wish I learned to drive. Unfortunately, the only other two drivers—Seta and Keitaro—were both called away on Todai business. Seta was either meeting on one of his discoveries or facing an ethics panel… the two were hard to tell apart any more. Keitaro was preparing to transition from being a guest lecturer to being a graduate student. He didn't really have the pull yet to get out of the meeting he was in.
She wanted to avoid letting the others know about her plight though. With the exception of Shinobu and Motoko, everyone was preparing for the graduation crunch and even they were busy. She wasn't about to have their studies suffer. Besides, what could they do but offer to go instead? Maybe I should have asked Tomoka if she could drive us…. Unfortunately she hadn't thought of that sooner. It might have allowed them to visit some on the trip to pick up Hyun-Sil.
There was a knock on the door and Hachi erupted in a flurry of yaps and wurfs. "Quiet you!" She opened the door to find Sara waiting with the leash. Kitsune was with her, a Pocky stick in her mouth and a package in her pocket. She'd been eating more frequently lately. It wasn't the best diet, but at least she wasn't as worrisomely skinny as she was when she was drinking.
"Come on, dumbass," Sara said affectionately, putting the leash on Hachi. Hachi obliged by making a bolt down the hallway, almost pulling Sara off of her feet. "Hey! Slow down!"
"Heya, Naru," Kitsune said a little cautiously. "I'm here so you can watch me take my pill."
"Right, just a second." She hurried over and retrieved the bottle, handing Kitsune one of the hexagon pills.
After some fumbling between her good hand, her cast, her water bottle, and her pill, Kitsune managed to get it swallowed. "So Haruka wants to know what time you want ta be heading out?" she asked.
"Oh, were you coming too?" Naru asked in a surprised tone. It was a relief to have that settled.
Kitsune misinterpreted the surprised tone and her face fell. Does she not want me to come. "Umm, well if it's gonna be a pain—"
"Ack, that's not what I meant," Naru said frantically, waving her hands. "I just meant I thought you wanted to run the tea shop as much as you could and I didn't want to inconvenience you by forcing you to close up today for me."
"Oh," Kitsune replied, obviously relieved. "Well, ta be honest, if I'm not gonna be a pain, I'd be happy to just get out of the house for a little while. Anyway, the reason I'm asking is Haruka and I wanna smoke before we go and we're gonna need ta take a shower afterwards so the smell doesn't affect you or the baby." Please don't object, she mentally messaged Naru. Smoking and snacks were replacing drinking in her daily routine. It was still unhealthy, but not as bad as getting drunk.
"Oh, well her flight gets in at around 1 pm, so we'll need to figure out how much time we need to get to where we need to be in Narita airport." Naru said, mentally calculating.
"Well, too bad it isn't Haneda," Haruka said, joining them. "That would have saved an extra hour and a half to our trip each way." She shrugged. "Well, there's talk about them making Haneda international again, so maybe some other time." She turned to Kitsune. "Got your supplies for the road and for the bath?"
Naru sweatdropped. I'm glad I never took up smoking, she thought. It sounds a lot more inconvenient than being pregnant. She went to go check on Sara and Hachi.
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By the road, they meant "down by the road in front of Hinata House." That was the closest Mutsumi would allow them to get to Hinata House now that Naru was expecting. And that ban is in effect after she has the baby too! She had warned in her intense mode.
"Maybe we should have a shelter built down here for us," Haruka observed as they took shelter at the tram stop. Luckily nobody was waiting right now. The Hinata City Municipal Transportation Authority took a dim view to people slumming in their stops. They'd even put a No Loitering Please sign up. As Naru's pregnancy progressed and they spent more time down there, the MTA took the "please" off of the sign. There had been a few times the two of them had needed to climb on a bus when the local police came by.
"So," Haruka began tentatively. "Have you considered your plans once you get this fine paid off?"
Kitsune shook her head. "Nah… haven't gotten that far yet. Why do you ask?"
"Well, I was thinking about what I was telling Shinobu after that debacle was finally over and Naru and Keitaro came back. I told her, You have to have a plan. Otherwise, she'd just drift."
Kitsune grimaced. It's a fair question. Am I gonna just go back to being a freeter? "Yeah, I hear you, Haruka… but the hell of it is, I don't know what to do when I'm not running the shop. I don't know what to do to have fun without drinking. I admit, I'm getting bored. And when I get bored—"
"You cause trouble," Haruka said, finishing her sentence, wincing. "I do seem to recall that magazine you used to freelance for asking for a retrospective article on how things have changed since your old travel reporting. How's that coming along?" She hoped to distract Kitsune from any reckless pursuits.
Kitsune shook her head. "Who'd want to listen to the ramblings of an old woman… Erm, well…" she trailed off as the 35 year old Haruka glared at her.
"Look," Haruka sighed. "You're in your late 20s. That's not as old as you fear. But obviously you're old enough that I can't lay down the law like I did as dorm mother. So I can't tell you what to do. But the readers who liked your bar-hopping articles back when you were nineteen are probably the same age you are now. Maybe they can relate to what you think about your past now?"
Kitsune stared at the lit end of her cigarette. "I can probably do something with that… but it feels like I'm writing some 'true confessions' sleaze. I don't want to put my failures on display here."
"It doesn't have to be an article like that. It could be something like 'things I'd have done differently' about the places you went." Haruka shrugged. "Who knows, maybe you could have something to say to the younger readers who are just starting to want to experience their freedom at age 20 too. Think of what you might want to tell Sara or Ema."
Kitsune sat there, staring down the hills to the sea, pondering. Haruka smiled, but said nothing. She could see the gears turning in her younger friend's head. That's a start anyway…
Finishing their ration of cigarettes, they began to head for the stairs leading up to Hinata House when they heard the whir from a automobile pulling up. Turning, they saw a female—in the kind outfit you'd expect from a government employee—get out of the nondescript vehicle and head over.
"Good morning," the officer said, showing a badge and an ID card identifying her as a member of the Kōanchōsa-chō. "My name is agent Yukika Karakuri. Do you live at this address?" She pulled out a notebook.
Kitsune eyes widened and she trembled slightly, wondering what sort of actions the PSIA would be investigating her for and whether it could get her suspended sentence reinstated. She forced herself to relax. If they were coming to arrest me again, they'd know where I lived. Besides, they wouldn't handle the kind of stuff I mighta done. "Um, yes… we do."
"Just some routine questions about a case we are working about hacking. Do you or anybody you know have experience with computers or robotics?
"Erm… that's a strange combination to be asking about…" Haruka interjected, having a good idea who fit the bill, and hoping to dodge whatever the hell this was about.
"Yes, it is," Karakuri said. "We were investigating a suspected foreign national and our trail went cold. But there was a recent hacking attempt at the Hinata City Hall, and it seems that our person of interest would have been involved with others in this case."
"Do you know who this person is?" Kitsune asked, wondering how to avoid giving information about who she suspected it was while simultaneously avoiding prison for obstruction.
"Yes, we questioned her back in November." Ms. Karakui brought out a familiar picture... of Shinobu.
The thought of Shinobu as a master criminal caused Kitsune and Haruka to burst out laughing.
"Sorry, sorry..." Haruka said when she got herself under control. "Shinobu Maehara is about as far as you can get from a computer or technology genius. Besides. She's a native born Japanese. I think you have the wrong person."
"That's strange," Ms. Karakui said, paging through her notebook. Two months ago, she and Takane Ukyo were detained and questioned. We don't normally make mistakes. Please excuse me." She headed back to her car.
Well, if ya busted Shinobu, ya sure as hell did, Kitsune thought to herself, but left unsaid. It had been bad enough being held in interrogation for her DWI charge. She did not want to piss off a national government agency with the reputation of the PSIA. "That was weird," she said to Haruka.
"Yeah," Haruka said, taking a long drag on her cigarette. "I thought she'd be looking for Su, but Shinobu? It must be a case of mistaken identity." I hope… Su would be fully capable of doing that. I really hope Su isn't causing trouble again. She sniffed her clothes and, making a face, looked at her watch. "I guess we better get the cigarette smell cleaned up before we drive Naru."
"Yeah," Kitsune said. "And I need to pack a bag of snacks in case any of the food we run across there is…" she gestured vaguely.
"Not a bad idea," Haruka said. Maybe that's why she eats so much junk food lately. Not that I can blame her. Just the week before, she'd had an Antabuse reaction that made her violently ill. Everyone thought she had slipped back into her old ways. But, as it turned out, the cause was a bottle of kombucha she had consumed, assuming it was safe to drink.
Now, every thing she tried for the first time—even old favorites—after she started taking Antabuse was a moment of fear for her.
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"Takane-kun," Shinobu said hesitantly. "What do you know about the Koreans?"
"Hmm?" Takane looked up from his tea. The weather had been too bad for their usual park bench, so they were in their usual cafe instead. "You mean the Zainichi? Or the Koreans from Korea?" He shrugged. "I haven't really met many Zainichi, but in my father's business we have ties overseas. They always struck me as diligent workers. So they could be good allies or effective competitors. Why do you ask?" It was a topic they never discussed before.
Shinobu blushed, hoping he wouldn't have the same disappointed look on his face that Naru did. "Well… Naru has a Korean friend who's coming to visit…," she began. "And I don't really know much about them other than the stories my mother told me about the Chongryon."
Takane nodded. Ever since the news of the long existing problem of North Korean kidnappings of Japanese citizens had been made public five years ago, the fears and mistrust had been on the rise. She probably would have been 15 or 16 when that came out. "Well, we never had any interactions with Pyongyang. We only had dealings with the South. And they were interested in business, not spying." He shrugged. "So we only saw them as potential rivals or allies in the business world, not enemies."
Shinobu stared down at the floor, feeling embarrassed about coming out with her concerns. "I know I'm being foolish. I don't feel this way about other Gaijin. I'm not afraid of Su or Nyamo, and I wouldn't mind seeing America or France. But when I hear about the Kankokujin, I just start remembering all my mother's horror stories and I get nervous." She sighed. "Maybe I'm just a terrible person. I just hope I don't do something stupid or offensive when Naru's friend arrives."
Takane put his hand over hers. "Shinobu-chan," he said gently. "You're not the type to join one of those Uyoku dantai groups out there. Your Mom told you some scary things as a child and you trusted her to tell the truth. But it seems like you're questioning what you were told and want to do the right thing here, right?"
"Yes," Shinobu mumbled. "I got out of being on Naru's troublemaker list and I want to stay off. But what if I end up saying something rude?"
"It's possible I guess," Takane said. "But as I see it, you don't usually speak without thinking unless you're really mad or jealous about something."
"I guess so…" Shinobu said, pondering that. She looked up. "You wanna come and visit this afternoon, Takane-kun? I could use the company while I prepare the welcoming meal for Naru's friend." And maybe I can show you my cooking skills too.
"I guess I could come over for a little while," Takane said with a smile. The two of them had a rule now. When he visited her, they either stayed in the common areas or left the door to her room open. This was both to prevent temptation and protect Shinobu's reputation from gossip. Given their relationship was the entertainment of Hinata House, that probably was a lost cause but at least they could be innocent of the gossip.
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"Your draft is looking good Motoko," Yuto told Motoko in a different coffee shop not far from where Shinobu and Takane were meeting. "The reconciliation of Husband and Wife while Ms. Bluepeak atones for her actions might actually allow us to market this more widely than the standard romance novel." He placed his hand on top of hers. "It's a bit implausible that he just happened to find her in a city the size of Nagasaki, but I don't think it's a deal breaker."
"That's good to know," Motoko said, looking uncomfortably at her pinned hand. Not knowing his intentions, combined with her mistrust of men, made this a little unnerving. Still, he seemed decent enough. "So, how did your trip to Seoul go last month?" It was a little annoying that he had been unavailable for so much of the time since he returned to Japan. "Where did you stay?"
"Hmm?" Yuto looked up, a little surprised. "Well, when the airport was snowed in, I ended up taking advantage of it to do some business in the Cheongnyangni district. So, it wasn't a total loss." He gave a faint smile as if remembering something.
"Cheongnyangni? I can't say I ever heard of it," Motoko replied. With the legal opportunities arising from increased trade between Japan and South Korea, Motoko was eager to learn more about the country in case she ever needed to travel there on business once she passed the bar exams. If it wasn't for this meeting, I probably would have skipped classes and just gone to the airport with Naru.
"Eh, it probably wouldn't be too interesting to people who weren't into the niche markets. But my employees might find it beneficial if they wind up in Seoul."
His expression was odd, but Motoko shrugged it off.
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"Shinobu a hacker?" Keitaro asked the PSIA agent incredulously. "No, she doesn't even own a computer. Yeah, she sometimes uses the labs here but, if she needs a paper typed, she usually has my sister do in exchange for odango." He impatiently looked at his watch, hoping this wouldn't take long.
The crewcutted and mustachioed Lieutenant Shikishima gave him a dubious look. "Odango, hmm? Most girls bake cookies. That's kind of unusual, if not suspicious. Is she prone to concealing items inside?"
"What!?" Keitaro asked. "My sister doesn't like sweets. Seems like you have the wrong person to me."
"Hmm," Shikishima grunted. "What about work with ordinance or robotics?"
"Now I know you have the wrong person," Keitaro snapped, sweatdropping. "Shinobu's doing one of the liberal arts programs." If these people are protecting us, how have we not been overrun by spies yet? I mean, if they had been talking about Su... hoo boy. He sweatdropped, sensing who they were looking for. "Anyway, you should look elsewhere."
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Based on Naru's account of their meeting on Pararakelse, Haruka was expecting a grandmotherly type. But the woman Naru rushed—well, waddled—to meet wasn't much older than she was. I hope that doesn't mean Naru think's I'm old, she thought sweatdropping.
The woman was medium height, with shoulder length hair in the digital perm style. She wore a pink blouse and a sensible skirt and had a crucifix around her neck.
"Eomeoni!" Naru called out. "Oraenmanieyo!"
The two embraced and began talking in a mixture of languages… mostly English, but also a few Japanese words and some words of what Haruka assumed to be Korean.
"My goodness!" the woman said, placing her hand on Naru's abdomen. "Such a big change since I last saw you, what? Seven months ago? You say you're going to have a little girl?"
"Yes, but she doesn't feel so little right now," Naru said, smiling. "I can't believe she's only going to weigh 3.5 to four kilos when she comes out of me."
"Oh yes, I remember being surprised seeing how small Ji-Hwan was when I had her." She gently patted Naru's abdomen again. "We'll need to make you some seaweed soup soon," she said maternally. "Strong mother, strong baby after all."
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Lecturing at Todai, Keitaro suddenly shivered and wondered why.
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"I can't wait to try your cooking again," Naru said. "I don't know of any Korean restaurants where I live."
"Ah, too bad," Hyun-Sil said. "But I did bring supplies from home, so I can prepare things for you." She opened a bag and brought out a Tupperware container with items wrapped in cloth inside. "Here's some mandu... you need to keep your strength up."
"Oh, Eomeoni!" Naru said, realizing what she said could be interpreted as taking advantage of Hyun-Sil. "You're supposed to be a guest here!" Her stomach growled in spite of herself.
"Don't be silly. I remember you thinking you could get by on ramyun when your husband went away on his dig. I need to make sure you eat well."
Kitsune sweatdropped, imagining how Shinobu might react to any perceived judgment or encroachment on her realm.
Naru, remembering she hadn't come alone, turned to the others. "Ah, Eomeoni, these are two of my friends. Mitsune Konno—we call her Kitsune—and Haruka Noriyasu."
"Hello," Haruka said, hoping her English was understandable. Naru had told her Hyun-Sil knew some English, but wasn't sure how much or whether her own Molmol tinted accent that she acquired overseas might be a barrier.
"Annyeong," Kitsune said a bit self-consciously, suddenly wondering if the bits of Korean she had picked up in her freelance travels were inappropriate here. She hoped it wasn't rude.
"Hello, Mrs. Noriyasu," Hyun-Sil said, "I'm pleased to meet you." Turning to Kitsune, she smiled, writing off the inappropriate level of greeting as simply what the girl knew. "A, hangug-eo hal jul aseyo? [Oh, you speak Korean?]"
Man, I'm rusty… or else I never was that good, Kitsune thought, sweatdropping. She barely got the gist of what was said. "My English is better," she said… in English.
"Of course," Hyun-Sil said, switching back to English. "Hopefully we all… get by?… in English."
"Well, most of us speak English somewhat," Naru said. "One of the high school students and one college student probably won't understand it well. But another of my friends at Hinata House is studying Korean. Hopefully between all of us, we can understand each other."
"Good." Hyun-Sil remembered some of the stories Naru had told her, and it seemed like miscommunication was going to be common among them even in their native language.
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Motoko was taking notes on a particularly dreary case law when Su slipped into the law library and sat down in a way that put Motoko between her and the door. As it created a commotion, Motoko looked up and glared. "Why are you in the law library, Su? It's not a place you usually go."
"I was just looking for a place to hide, er, hang out."
Motoko sweatdropped. "The police aren't going to show up here again, are they?"
"No, not the police." Seeing some men in government style suits walk in, Su pretended to scrutinize the text. "Whatcha reading, Motoko?"
Motoko sighed. "Cases in Property Law 1973-1977."
"Oh." She paused for a moment. "How is it?"
Motoko found her eye twitching. "It's fairly boring and irritating, which matches my mood perfectly." She hoped Su would get the point.
She didn't. "You feel boring and irritating, Motoko?"
"No, you twit," Motoko growled. I feel bored and irritated!"
"Oh, well your life should be getting exciting soon. Excuse me!" She scurried off.
"Excuse me," a man in a government suit said, flashing his badge. "I need to ask you some questions about this person." He showed her a picture of Shinobu.
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"I never saw so many people at that tram stop before," Takane said. "I wonder if you would have gotten a seat if I hadn't driven you."
"That was strange. I wonder if it was a government employee convention." Shinobu reviewed the pregnancy notes Mutsumi had given her months before. "So, I need to avoid giving her raw meats, raw eggs and give her more green vegetables, cooked fish, fruits, and milk... hopefully our guest will like what I can make out of that." She didn't know much about Korean food except that, when she asked her friends, they told her Koreans liked garlic and spicy seasonings... neither one of which she had any intention of serving Naru without Mutsumi's explicit approval. I think my mom said spicy foods can induce labor.
There was a sound of a low flying helicopter overhead... the third time in an hour.
"It sounds like some of the old manga gags of everyone wanting curry with a different level of spiciness," Takane said, watching Shinobu manage the kitchen like a professional. He wanted to help out, but after a few attempts, he was relegated to passing ingredients and offering moral support. "I'm sure you will do fine though." He handed her a container. "Here's the salt you asked for."
Shinobu took it and, after examining it, sweatdropped and handed it back. "How sure are you? That's sugar, Takane-kun."
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"Excuse me, Miss," the agent said.
"Ara, ara," Mutsumi said, stopping at the foot of the stairs and turning to look. "Can I help you?" she asked sweetly.
"Erm," the agent said, used to the cold stares and responses. "We are looking into an incident that happened at the City records a week or so ago. Do you know this woman?"
"Oh, what a nice picture of Shinobu-chan!" Mutsumi gushed. "We probably couldn't get things done without her cooking things up."
"You mean she's a ringleader?"
"Oh, no. Nacchan is the big boss around here. She decides where to draw the line."
"I see… So, this Nacchan is the one who reins in extreme behavior?" The agent began jotting down notes in his notebook: Investigate agent code named Nacchan.
"Oh yes, I hate to imagine what people might get away with if she didn't. But we try to help her since she's getting ready for the big event. She doesn't need any distractions, since she's bringing in somebody from Korea."
"Oh really? Would that be Chongryon?" Bringing in specialist from Korea before 'big event,' he jotted down.
"No. I think her name is Park actually..."
Mutsumi cheerfully walked up the stairs, while the agent spoke into his two-way radio.
"We have a potential ringleader on the site. Name or code name is Nacchan who is preparing for something big and bringing in a person of interest named Park from Korea."
"Copy that. Keep an eye out for one Keitaro Urashima. He claims to have a sister, but checking the birth registry shows his mother didn't give birth to any other children."
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"What the hell is up with all those helicopters?" Haruka growled, as she prepared to pull into the service driveway. There were four circling the area.
Hyun-Sil looked out the window and pursed her lips, remembering. "During the Chun Doo-Hwan dictatorship, they would use them in manhunts for suspected communists. But Japan doesn't work like Korea in those days, right?"
"No...," Naru said, closing the empty mandu container. "But this isn't normal at all." Unless somebody pulled a stunt again... Even money bet on that possibility. "At any rate, welcome to Hinata House, Eomeoni."
Hyun-Sil got out of the van and stretched. "It looks like a beautiful place," she said. "Umm, Naru, is everything all right?"
Naru had been thinking, please let them behave... "Yes, I'm fine." I hope. "I hope our home will be acceptable." Motoko had told her that one should be depreciative of compliments. Saying thank you to a compliment was seen as a lack of humility.
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The meeting with Shinobu was not as bad as Naru feared, but not as smooth as she hoped either.
"No, Takane… that's baking soda, not salt," Shinobu was wearily saying when they entered the kitchen. Judging by her expression, Naru guessed that this hadn't been his first kitchen mistake.
"Shinobu, this is my friend. Park Hyun-Sil," she began. "Eomeoni, this is my friend Shinobu Maehara and this is Takane Ukyo."
"Ah… Hello… Mrs. Park," Shinobu said to Hyun-Sil, bowing and fumbling over her English. She was clearly nervous. Don't say anything stupid, don't say anything stupid…. "I hope you had a pleasant trip from Seoul?"
Naru and Hyun-Sil sweatdropped. Shinobu blushed, belatedly remembering that the woman had flew in from Pararakelse.
Hyun-Sil recovered first and bowed. "I'm pleased to meet you, Miss Maehara." She handed the younger woman a basket with fruits and some small bottles. "Please accept these for your kitchen."
"Ah, thank you," Shinobu replied, relieved to have something to relate to. "Those look very—"
"Ooh, are those energy drinks?" Kanako asked, appearing out of nowhere and grabbing one.
That comment sparked an avalanche from the student members of Hinata House, who began plucking them out of the package.
"Can't you act like civilized people?" Haruka snapped in Japanese.
Naru winced. "They're doing their studies for when the finals come," she explained to Hyun-Sil.
Hyun-Sil looked embarrassed. "Ah, that's no good! For studies, you should have health tonics!"
The Hinata girls stared at her blankly. Not because they didn't understand her English. They just couldn't grasp the concept of not using energy drinks.
"Ara, she's right, you know," Mutsumi said, entering the kitchen. "Energy drinks aren't good for you in excess!" She weakened the effectiveness of her admonition by pocketing a handful.
Sighing, Naru made the next round of introductions in English. Then again in Japanese for Ema and Nagumo.
Motoko tensed nervously, knowing this was the acid test for her study of the Korean language and the bits of culture that came along with it. «Hello, Ms. Park. I am Motoko Aoyama. Welcome to Hinata House.» She bowed, knowing that the Koreans used this form of greeting too. She hoped the Japanese style bow would be considered acceptable.
Hyun-Sil's eyes lit up. «Hello, Miss Aoyama. Your Korean is very good. Have you been studying it long?»
I can understand her! She can understand me! Motoko thought, elated. She had been worried that what she learned wouldn't be understandable through accent or pronunciation differences. «About four years. In college, we need to study English and one other language. Since I am studying law, I thought this one might be good to know as trade increases.» Her instructor had told the class to expect personal questions from Koreans… it showed polite interest in the person.
Returning to English, Hyun-Sil said, "Thank you for having me as a guest."
"You're welcome," Shinobu said, earning a facepalm from Motoko and Naru.
What? Shinobu wondered.
"What did you do, Su?" Keitaro growled to Su as they entered.
"Nothing!" Su said, innocently.
"Nothing? That agent wanted to send me to Guantanamo because I forgot to mention that Kanako was adopted! You're the robotics student here!"
Kanako and Su shared a look.
"If you'll excuse me, oniisan, I need to go wipe—I mean defragment—my hard drive before dinner!" Kanako said, scurrying off.
"Rough day?" Naru asked, walking over and kissing Keitaro.
"Not as bad as some." He turned to the others. "Behave! We have company!" He turned to Haruka. Thank you for driving today, obasan." He turned to Hyun-Sil. "Welcome to our home, Park obasan."
Haruka and Hyun-Sil punched him simultaneously.
"What did you do that for?" Naru squawked in protest?
Hyun-Sil stared at her fist with surprise. "I'm not sure... but suddenly I felt irritated."
Haruka nodded, knowingly.
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Motoko had warned them that in Korea meals generally had little talking and socializing was done after. But evidently that was in formal situations because Naru and Hyun-Sil were speaking cheerfully in a mishmash of English, Japanese and Korean… maybe a bit of Pararakelsan as well?
Hyun-Sil brought out her side dishes to supplement to the meal, offering them to the others.
Shinobu flushed, feeling it was a sign that her cooking had failed. Then, as Naru reached for one of the containers, she nudged Mutsumi with alarm. "Isn't spicy stuff bad for her?" she whispered.
"No, Shinobu. Excessive spiciness is bad," Mutsumi whispered back.
Shinobu winced and hoped the portions Naru took didn't count as excessive.
"It's been so long since I had Kimchi," Naru said, opening the container.
Shinobu did her best not to recoil at the unusual (and strong) aroma. "Umm, what is this Kimchi?" And will I regret trying it?
Motoko looked up. "It's a Korean side dish made up of cabbage and radish, with several spices in it. My instructor told us it ferments throughout the year." She looked to Hyun-Sil, who nodded in confirmation.
Kitsune, who had been reaching for it, pulled her hand away rapidly. "Hmm, I forgot that was fermented. I probably better not chance it. Too bad though." She grimaced slightly. I know I need it, but damn, Antabuse cramps the rest of my life. "Can you pass the salt?"
Takane passed it over.
Shinobu intercepted it. "No, Takane... that's... oh, wait that is the salt. Never mind."
Seeing the others trying it, Shinobu took a minuscule amount of Kimchi on the side of her plate, and hesitatingly tried it. To her surprise it was neither as bad as she dreaded nor as good as she hoped the others' reactions implied. The flavor of the seasonings was somewhat intriguing—if unconventional—but the texture of the cabbage and radish after fermentation was a bit unpleasant for her tastes. So, she washed it down with a lot of water and let her napkin cover that part of her plate.
Immediately after the meal, the residents made a break for the door, hoping to avoid cleanup, taking advantage of the fact that Hyun-Sil had already started to clear up. Haruka was faster, and blocked the doorway... clotheslining Sara and Su. That made them the 'volunteers to help.'
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"So, Shinobu," Takane asked when the commotion had died down. "What did you think?" They were in the lounge studying, each with their arm around each other.
Shinobu looked up from her Calpis, which she was swishing around in her mouth to get rid of the aftertaste. Blushing at being caught in something so unladylike, she swallowed it. "I don't think those spices are for me."
"Understandable," Takane said. "They're a bit wild for my tastes too. But I meant about your fears about dealing with someone from Korea."
"Oh…, well it wasn't as bad as I feared. But I was pretty nervous about doing something that caused offense, so I was afraid to move." She paused. "I didn't care for how she was passing out those seasonings though. It felt like she was saying the meal wasn't good enough for her."
"Ah, I see." Takane pondered that. On one hand, he wanted to defuse an innocent cross-cultural misunderstanding. Technically, they were Korean side dishes, not seasonings. He knew that these were things that they considered naturally part of the meal. On the other, the kitchen was Shinobu's realm, and he'd rather not put her in a bad mood by appearing to side against her, especially when she was rather affectionate this evening. "I'm guessing that perhaps their cooking is normally spicier. Maybe it's just a matter of her getting used to how we do things here?"
"Maybe…" Shinobu conceded, a little dubiously. I better give her a chance. I don't want to end up like Mom.
Takane leaned over give her a reassuring kiss.
"Ah, you better not!" Shinobu said, self-consciously. "My breath might taste like the kimchi!" The others were in the hot spring, so she wasn't worried about being seen and gossiped over.
"Really?" Takane asked, a smile on his face. "I'd better check to make sure it's not noticeable."
They exchanged a kiss that Shinobu was sorry when it ended. "Well, is my breath safe?"
"I'm not sure... I better take a few more samples to be sure..."
The two embraced and kissed more ardently.
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Thankfully, Korean hot spring etiquette was similar to the Japanese, so that went smoothly… except for the fact that Hyun-Sil appeared mildly taken aback by Sara wearing a bathing suit to cover her birthmark.
"So, this was the reality you described back on Pararakelse?" Hyun-Sil said to Naru as they sat in the Hot Springs. Kitsune, her arm taped up in a plastic bag, made her way over to the spring with Kanako nearby in case she lost her balance.
That girl is carrying a heavy burden, Hyun-Sil thought. The cast, the plaster on the nose, the haunted expression... this one called Kitsune is hurting inside.
"It seems even more…" Hyun-Sil fumbled for the word, "…michin… than you described."
"Well, it is rather lively," Naru said, not knowing what the term meant.
"Erm, yes…" Motoko—who did understand the term—said, sweatdropping.
"But you do look tired, and a sleeping mother means a healthy baby. You won't get much sleep after the baby is born."
"Sleep… I remember that…," Naru said wistfully.
"Problems?" Haruka asked, joining them?"
Naru looked uncomfortable. "Lately, I've been worrying a lot about some of the other members and what sort of things might be hurting them. I haven't been talking about it because I didn't want people to think I was blaming or accusing them." Kitsune's drunk driving crash had been the catalyst, but now that that had been pushed in front of her, she wondered about what hurts or secrets the others might be hiding.
"Ara, ara!" Mutsumi said, rushing over. "You aren't hiding your stress are you? That's not healthy."
"Keep that up and I'm going to start stressing over my stress," Naru grumbled.
Haruka, missing the point, nodded. "I probably should be keeping a closer eye on Su, Sara and—" she barely avoided mentioning Kitsune, "er, watch their behavior." She sighed. "Dealing with rebellion and a clueless husband is a challenge though. I just can't play the Dorm Mother like I did before I was married."
"So, it is like the residents act like adolescents who need a mother?" Hyun-Sil asked.
Naru smiled wearily, recalling the six months since she learned she was pregnant. "That is what it feels like sometimes," she said, assuming Hyun-Sil was speaking figuratively.
So, Naru needs help. Hyun-Sil made a decision on what to do.
Author's Notes
A comment by reader Fencer29 was the inspiration for Su and Kanako's antics being investigated. As it fit in with a future arc idea I had, I decided to run with it as a bit of foreshadowing.
Thanks to Steeltemplar who helped me with Park Hyun-Sil's characterizations and dialogue.
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In case you've forgotten (or haven't read the previous works) in this trilogy, Park Hyun-Sil (AKA Mrs. Cha) was Naru's friend mentioned in flashbacks in my story Forever and a Day.
"It was one of the rainy days in January, with reports calling for a high of 5 °C, so it wasn't going to snow." It surprised me, but in Tokyo the January wet weather is usually rain but not snow. 5° C is about 41° F
Narita and Haneda are the two airports that service Tokyo. It's about a 47 mile drive from Narita to central Tokyo and a 13 mile drive from Haneda.
Kōanchōsa-chō. AKA the Public Security Intelligence Agency (PSIA, which is what I'll be using for shorthand). The Japanese equivalent of the FBI.
"Ms. Karakui brought out a familiar picture... of Shinobu." In the Stepmother arc (Resolutions), Shinobu and Takane were picked up by the PSIA for questioning after Su slipped a data disc in Takane's pocket.
Zainichi: (More formally, Zainichi Kankokujin). Properly speaking, an ethnic Korean who has permanent residency or citizenship in Japan. Usually people who emigrated to Japan before 1945 or their descendants. However, it's sometimes used as a blanket for all Koreans living in Japan more or less permanently. (This is the sense that the members of Hinata House use). Because both Japan and South Korea have laws against dual citizenship, the Zainichi have to choose between the two.
Chongryon: One group of Zainichi that had a reputation of having sympathies towards North Korea. For a long time, they were the dominant faction of Koreans in Japan, and tended towards opposing Zainichi integrating or accepting Japanese citizenship. With the news of the North Korean abductions of Japanese citizens coming out in 2002, anti-Chongryon sentiment has been on the rise. Shinobu's fears about Koreans (remember, this is January 2007 in the story) have this sort of thing as a background. The other group (Mindan) tended to take a pro-South Korean outlook and have avoided some of the hostility faced by the Chongryon. I'm not sure if one of the anti-Korean slurs (which I won't print here) is derived from this group name or if it's a coincidence.
"You're not the type to join one of those Uyoku dantai groups out there." An umbrella term for the far-right parties of Japan.
"Cheongnyangni" It's a district in Seoul. It once had a certain kind of fame, but we'll find out more about that later on.
"But the woman Naru rushed—well, waddled—to meet wasn't much older than she was." Haruka is 35. Kitsune is 27. Naru is 25.
"Eomeoni" It means Mother, but isn't reserved only for a person's biological mother.
"Oraenmanieyo!" Roughly, "it's been awhile."
"She didn't know much about Korean food, except that, when she asked her friends, they told her Koreans liked garlic and spicy seasonings." Unfortunately for Shinobu, her friends gave her stereotypes, not facts.
"I think my mom said spicy foods can induce labor." This folk remedy/warning (depending on whether you want to induce labor) is apparently global. Medical warnings tend to warn against excessive spiciness.
"Then again in Japanese for Ema and Nagumo." As I understand it, the English taught in Japanese High School is rather rudimentary. So, Ema doesn't know it well enough to converse. Nagumo is a grade A slacker. Sara has been to the United States, so she knows the language. Kitsune is well-traveled.
"except for the fact that Hyun-Sil appeared mildly taken aback by Sara wearing a bathing suit" For some Koreans, a bathing suit is considered unhygienic.