Chapter 4: Proof

Lee sat down an hour after his designated lunch time mainly because he had wanted to finish everything that Kazuya had ordered him to do before he heard any complaints from him. Everyone else had already gone back to work, but it didn't matter much to Lee. He hardly felt like talking much to anyone and he knew that he couldn't hold much of a pleasant conversation without snapping someone's head off—that was how irritated he was at the moment. Even his food seemed unappetizing.

"That bastard," Lee said under his breath.

Why had he even begun to think anything different about him? It had been a ploy. He ignored his gut feelings and now look where it had gotten him. Being a janitor had at least been tolerable. Now he was in a constant state of a sour mood and he often wondered every morning why he did not quit. Why did he willingly put himself through this sort of torture almost every single day? He took one bite of his food and then knew that he could not finish it. He was in the process of standing up and throwing away the whole thing when he was stopped by a familiar voice.

"Young man," an old voice said from behind him.

With a look of surprise, Lee turned to him, "So it's you, old man. Where the hell have you been?"

Wang seemed unperturbed by the other's tone, "A man has to cover his own ass sometimes especially when dealing with Kazuya."

"You didn't trust me or something? Of course I wouldn't give Kazuya your name; I'm not quite so vindictive. "

"One can never be sure. So did you learn something of Kazuya?"

"Yes, I have."

"And," the old man said wanting the other to continue at once. "Do you believe me now?"

"There's…something wrong with him, sure, I'll give you that, but there's no reason to jump to those conclusions."

"How can I get you to understand?"

"Look, old man, it's called having a split personality. I ask him about things from past days and he cannot recall—I know he can't even when he tries to hide it by annoying me half the death. That night, that one night, I saw a glimpse of something else in Kazuya. It seemed genuine enough yet the very next day it didn't even seem like I was talking to the same person. He barely remembered that he had promoted me in the first place. If you say Kazuya is in serious need of a psychiatrist, then I'm completely with you, but all this other stuff…is just too farfetched. Where's the proof?"

"It's hard to come up with proof for you. You're just going to have to believe me."

"You expect me to take you at your word?"

"I had not counted on you being this naïve."

Lee's eyebrows fell as he heard this. "You'll have to find some other chump."

"How long are you going to keep this up? Well, nevermind, you work for him, eventually you'll figure things out. When you do, you know how to contact me. The sooner you can lend me your help, the better."

"You sound so certain."

"It's only a matter of time," Wang replied folding his arms behind himself. "I know I've chosen the right person."

Lee might have said something else, but he realized that it was pointless. The old man was set in his ways and there was no amount of reasoning that could convince him of some alternative explanation. He watched as Wang shuffled off to the nearest door. Lee again wondered if he actually worked here. He hadn't seen him doing any actual work and even now he didn't seem to be in any rush. Lee picked up his food and threw it away.

He returned to his post twenty-six floors up where Kazuya's office was. Kazuya was ready for him as usual. There would always be work for him, Lee knew. He learned early that if he made no comments, Kazuya would send him on his way quickly. This was the technique he employed now. He spent fifteen minutes tops in that office and then he was free. All and all, he was let off pretty easy. He was given so many assignments that he would not have to come in contact with Kazuya for the rest of the day. Lee often wondered how Kazuya had been able to do everything without any help. Certainly, there would have been a lot of things he would have been forced to organize or else not get very much done in a timely manner. Even now, as he skimmed over the schedule that Kazuya had more or less tossed at him as if it were an afterthought, Lee could tell that the schedule was so detailed that a lot of careful planning must have been put into it. He wondered what Kazuya would be doing all day, but then put such thoughts to the back of his mind as the second half of the day was underway.

/

It was night before Lee decided that he had put in enough extra hours. Starting a new project was always time-consuming in its early stages and he had been responsible for overseeing three of them. He wasn't entirely certain with the specifics, but they did not always seem completely legit. But certainly, Kazuya wouldn't be idiotic enough to involve the corporation in shady businesses. He did not question, he simply did. That was all Kazuya cared to hear about if he had anything to say to him. Lee was hoping he could catch him before he left so that he could debrief him on the situation. Often, it was better to keep him informed rather than have him assume failure—it meant less hassle later. Unfortunately, as Lee made his way to Kazuya's office, he was no longer there. At least the door was locked. In one last attempt to find him, he tried the roof just as Kiki had suggested. He hadn't really expected him to be there, but when he arrived it was a different story.

Lee closed the door behind himself. He was sure that he made enough noise to make his presence known, but Kazuya never did look back to acknowledge him. Lee stopped a few inches behind the other so that he wouldn't be standing side by side and could keep a respectable distance.

He assumed the other had heard him and plowed away on his debriefing. "Everything seems to be going quite smoothly. Kyoshi was successfully bought out—I think we gave them a fair enough deal especially considering the corner they were pushed into. As for—

"That's enough," Kazuya said abruptly before the other could go into any more details, "If you say everything is going smoothly, then it is."

"But, sir, don't you want to know the specifics? At least, how everything turned out?"

"It's unnecessary. For as long as you've worked for me, you've proven yourself capable. Why continue to insult you by demanding so many details? I think some trust should be awarded."

The gale force was much higher at their position. Much of it whipped Lee's hair in the most awkward positions and he found himself constantly pulling it out of his eyes and mouth as he spoke. Of course, Kazuya did not have such problems—his hair was only a little unkempt in the front, only a few strands out of place, but that was all. Lee wondered if he was hearing the other right and immediately he became weary. It was an odd discovery, but Lee realized that he felt far more comfortable around the rude, insensitive Kazuya who was by far easier to understand.

"You're not going to invite me to a restaurant again, are you?" Lee asked the other in a slightly joking voice.

"Again? I'd never do such a thing in the first place."

"But you did, sir, some months before."

"That must have been when I promoted you. I understand now."

Lee was only a little confused, "What's there to understand?"

"Nevermind, it doesn't concern you."

Lee might have taken his leave right then, but the conversation he had with Wang seemed to ring loudly in his mind then. He knew that if there was something he wanted to ask Kazuya, this would be the only time he might be given a straight answer. However, the only thing he found himself doing was standing there mutely, the words once again stuck in his throat. It certainly wasn't the kind of thing he would ask someone he wasn't completely familiar with. They were by no means friends, but Lee suspected that he was the only person that even came close.

"Lee," Kazuya began before the other could manage to say something, "do you ever suspect that all is not as it seems? You work for me and you are the only person who has. None came before you. My grandfather, when he worked here, had dozens of assistants and he introduced me to every single one of them. They've long since been fired after my father took over. However, it was my grandfather who taught me all that I needed to know to run such a corporation. When he died, I knew that he wanted me to succeed him, to follow in his footsteps. I have done neither. You should complain more than you do. I have not seen fit to hire more people and so you are often left with the shorter end of the stick with a far heavier workload than all other employees."

Had he just admitted to overworking him, Lee thought incredulously to himself. He thought he'd never hear such words from Kazuya yet there it was. "I don't mind," Lee finally responded, "I know it is a position that was pretty unlikely to attain since you don't normally keep assistants."

"Spare me, for once, Lee. No one would subject themselves to such abuse if there wasn't something in it for them. Should something happen to me, you're in the prime position to take my place. You being my only assistant of equal partnership, there would be little dispute in who should take over. I suspect that was why I promoted you in the first place."

"It isn't likely anything should happen to you, right? Like you said, you're here because your grandfather wanted you to. You want to honor his request."

"You sincerely believe nothing is going to happen to me. You don't suspect anything from the last few assignments I've given you, not even from the ones a couple months ago?"

"Should I?" Lee asked cautiously.

"You should stop being so blind. I can hardly remember what happens from day to day. If I did not write everything down and leave myself thorough explanations, I'd be at a complete loss. Do you think such a person is fit to be in my position?"

"Have you seen anyone about that?"

"About what?"

"About your memory lapses. Maybe you could…get some help."

"Like a psychiatrist?"

"Well, sir…I was just…It doesn't have to be a…"

"So you think I'm crazy."

"No, sir, of course not."

"Maybe I am. But no one could help me anyway."

"Is it because…" then Lee licked his now chapped lips in apparent nervousness, "of some external evil?"

Kazuya did not respond for the longest time. It almost seemed as if he had forgotten he was even there.

"You should go," Kazuya finally said. "It isn't safe here. Don't you have some other place to be besides being at work at all hours of the night?"

"I think I told you before, outside of work, all I do is go home and prepare for the next day."

"Then do that now," Kazuya replied in his characteristic rough tone.

It seemed his good mood did not last as long as it had last time. Lee could sense that. Immediately, he knew something was wrong. Kazuya still hadn't so much as turned to him the entire time. He stood like a statue in his one position with his hands in his pant pockets. Only the wind gusts gave him any movement at all.

"Sir, is everything alright?"

"I wish that it was."

"Maybe you should go home as well. It is getting pretty late."

"After all that I put you through, you want to concern yourself with me. You are far too nice."

"Well, it is good practice to be concerned with one's boss."

"Go, Lee," Kazuya said with a hint of exasperation.

"Alright," Lee replied. "I just want you to know—your secret is safe with me."

Lee waited for the other to dispute him, to at least inquire what secret he was keeping safe, but none of these things happened. On Kazuya's part, the only thing he did was afford him a backwards glance, but that told Lee everything. It had been a knowing look as if to say "yeah, I know". Kazuya hadn't verbally admitted to anything, but Lee knew then that Wang had been right. Lee wasn't entirely sure on the specifics, but there was certainly a secret and Kazuya certainly didn't want to admit such things in public.

When Lee stepped inside again and closed the door, he felt strong gusts of wind pound against the door. Concerned, Lee with a bit of effort opened the door once again to see if Kazuya remained unharmed, but he was nowhere to be found.

/

AN: Say what, another chapter? That's right. Let's hope I can keep up with such a pace for a little while. So Lee finally figures out that all is not right, that perhaps there is some truth to Wang's crazy ramblings. But what will he do about it, if anything? And on another subject that readers may or may not be dying for me to get to, how in the world will Kazuya ever cross paths with Jun again? Stay tuned. Next up, Kazuya's POV for those who are tired of getting information about Kazuya through other people's experiences. And, yes, I will be taking a closer look at Kazuya's mental state.