The streets are filled with images of famous idols and shows, the sound of footsteps fill the air as rivers of people walk around the city, although one of them seems rather lost, not knowing how to swim in this water, and attracting the occasional glance of the people. A foreigner who is supposed to be amazed by the colors and smells of this place, so many flavors to taste, music to hear, culture to learn. But alas, this man does not seem to care about the wanders of this place, in fact, he seems to be looking for something.
"Damn... Where is this place?" He whispers to himself, looking at his phone and the street with a tired face of someone who doesn't know how sleep works.
After a little while he stops Infront of a fast food restaurant. "Finally" he whispers as he enters the building.
Just half hour later he left with an angry expression, walking once more, this time looking for a place to reorganize his thoughts, a bench outside what seems to be another restaurant will do.
This won't do, how am I supposed to find a job if every single one of them cares more about looks rather than experience or motivation?! At this rate I'm going to be in trouble... Maybe I should go ba-
*Riiiiing!* *Riiing!*
Tap*
"What's up Frank? Any luck with you?"
"You are not going to believe this man! I just got some tickets for an idol concert!"
"Con..? We are supposed to be looking for a job! What the hell have you been doing?!"
"Chill bro, look, I know it's been a harsh month but the others and I thought this could be a good opportunity to relax a bit you know? What's the point of traveling all the way here if we won't enjoy the place?"
"..."
"Don't worry, this one's on me"
"*Sigh* fine, but don't expect me to buy any concert stuff"
"Don't worry, we got that covered, you just go back to the apartment, the others said they will buy dinner"
"Alright, see you then"
"Bye"
Tap*
A concert huh? I've only been in one in my whole life .. I guess it can't be that bad, plus I won't pay a thing. Alright, back to base.
Meanwhile on another part of the city...
"So what did he say?"
"He's in, a bit pissed but in"
"Why didn't you tell him that you actually found a job already? He wouldn't be pissed at you, why lie?"
"Because then he will realize he is the only one left without a job, and I don't want to make the situation worse for him, the guys think the same"
"Hmm, you really care that much about him?"
"Hahaha! I'm just returning some favors, he helped us a lot since we put foot here, plus he is the older among all of us, I'm pretty sure some of the guys think of him as a big brother already"
Beep*
"Whoops, back to work I go, you start tomorrow, Il show you the ropes and everything alright?"
"Perfect, thanks again for convincing your boss to hire me, I won't let you down"
Frank and his girlfriend kiss before he returns to the apartment.
Meanwhile...
"I'm back"
The door of the apartment opens to reveal a group of 4 teens roughly of the same age preparing a homemade table so they all can fit
"Frank isn't here yet?" The young adult who just arrived asked.
"Sup" one teen says
"Nope, but he should get here soon" another one replies
"So what's for dinner? Frank said you guys bought something"
"Just some sushi, nothing special, a warm up for the concert"
"Alright, how can i help?"
"Nah, we got this, you just sit on the couch"
"Umm... Okay"
The young adult sits on the couch while the others keep on preparing the table, he takes out his phone and opens a digital map.
That marks off another 5 places and the search zone grows again, it is almost public transport distance now... Damn it!... Maybe if I rent a bicycle or something? Il compare the monthly costs to see if I can allow it and still reach my part of the apartment rent, maybe I can-
"Wassup!"
The sound of the door opening takes the young adult off of his thoughts. The teens greet Frank and he just lets them keep on their thing while he casually walks to the sofa and sits besides the troubled man
"Are you hyped for the concert?" He asks
"Not that much, idol concerts are so different from the regular ones, most people go to the concerts to enjoy the music and the light shows, but in the idol ones all the people just go to see their idol and the music is just an extra or not even relevant at all"
"Well you'll have to get used to it because idol concerts are everything around here"
"Yeah yeah... Which group is it anyway?"
"Here" Frank hands him a pamphlet
"B Komachi?"
"Yep, they are not that popular right now but they are rising like foam very quickly, people say they are making it to the top for sure, so probably this will be the only concert of them we will ever afford haha!"
While Frank is explaining, the young man scans the pamphlet with a uninterested look, but he locks his sight on the group photo, more specifically on the main idol of the group, she is so obviously highlighted but not without reason, she is simply outstanding. Frank notices his friend's sudden stop.
"Ai hoshino, the lead of the group, i see you are charmed by her already even if it's only a photo haha!"
"Hm, I mean she is cute but..."
"What is it?"
"Nah it doesn't matter, let's talk about more important matters like, how was your date?"
"Date? What are you talking about?"
"Your smile"
"Huh?"
"You had a slightly wider smile when you arrived, which led me to assume that something good happened to you today, and since I don't think you found a gold bar on the ground, that only leaves a date"
...
"Alright you got me, but I wasn't being lazy! I was scouting too"
"And how did that go? Any luck?"
"Nope, I went to 3 places but none of them were hiring" Said Frank with his usual carefree tone
...
"Your eyebrow "
Frank eyes go wide as his friend let's out a sigh
"So that makes me the only one left"
Frank leans to the side to see the rest of the guys with a surprise expression, just to see all of them with a embarrassed face
...
"Hahaha! We really can't fool you even once can we?" Said Frank with a tone of total defeat. "Why are you still searching for a part time job? You are clearly above that, maybe even beyond"
I know...
Frank words slowly muffle to the young man's ears as he gets absorbed into his own thoughts
I know...
That is not the first time I've heard that, since I was a child, when I went to highschool, every single time I heard those same words...
"Wow! You have a lot of empathy!"
"You will surely be a counselor "
"You will surely be a therapist "
"Maybe even beyond that!"
"Thanks man! Why aren't you charging for this?"
"Why aren't you working like this?"
"What are you doing with your life...?"
"Why are you wasting your talent?...
"Why are you wasting your...
Isn't it normal? I was taught that having empathy was a normal thing,even if I had a little bit more than usual. I used to cry every time I saw another person cry, it didn't matter if I knew them or not, I couldn't control it. when I grew older I started listening to other people's problems in school, understanding them, putting me in their shoes, picturing the best possible friendly advice I could give, which always ended up in a good way. But that was just normal, right? Empathy is a normal thing, they surely would have done the same thing if ever needed help.
Everyone kept saying that i should start working as a counselor or something similar, but how could I? I was just being a normal guy, plus I had already planned on studying something different.
And then... As if it was a castle of cards or an ice sculpture on a sunny day, my life started crumbling down before my eyes, one event at a time, one dream at a time, one plan at a time... And when I myself sought help, it declared itself "incompetent"
But even then I still could hear those words from the few people I kept around me, and I even considered it, I needed money, but how could I dare myself to even think of telling other people what to do when I was in such a low point? There was simply no way.
...
Empathy... Even though the word doesn't mean anything to me anymore, I keep hearing it from the people I meet, they say i understand them so well, that how is it possible for me to be happy when they are happy,that how can I "read" them so precisely,that how can I even cry when they are crying... I don't get it... I don't understand... How can I?... How am I still able to...? When I didn't spill a single tear when my parents-
"Dinner is ready!" One of the guys yells with pride as they finish preparing the table with food.
"Finally!" Frank says with relief as he softly punches the shoulder of the young man lost in his thoughts. "Come on, I'm starving!"
All of them eventually sit together and start eating, this is some of the few times they actually gather to eat, normally they eat outside or prepare something for themselves when they arrive as pretty much everyone has a different schedule.
Everyone is talking with each other about different things, mostly about the concert they're going to enjoy, everyone is having a good time, they are happy. And the young man, with his usual gloomy expression, obviously notices it, and as if it was the most dangerous virus in the world, he can't help but get infected almost instantly, forming a slight smile on his face. It may not be his own happiness that's making him smile, but with everyone being so happy, maybe he can be as well, only for this dinner, for them.
That was a nice dinner.
-The next day-
As the young man is preparing for another day of job hunting, taking the most 'Interview acceptable ' look he can, a young voice calls him from behind.
"H.. hey"
The young man recognized the voice instantly, hard to miss actually.
"What's up Jay?"
"Umm... Can I ask you something before you head out?"
"Sure" says the young man as he starts to comb his hair.
"Soo... My boss is kinda acting a little harsh on me lately and I don't know if I'm doing something wrong, he won't tell me anything "
"Just on you?"
"Yeah..."
"What do your coworkers say?"
"Umm... They also say it's a little weird"
Jay was one of the first of us who got a job, it hasn't been that long ago plus I know he is not lazy...
" He didn't say anything to you? Really?"
"Well... He told me that I should work harder because I wasn't meeting his expectations"
The young man stops combing for a moment
Expectations? That's a weird way to scold an employee... Is he trying to get Jay fired? But isn't he the boss? He could just fire him... Unless he is not the one to make those decisions in the company...
"Does he scold you In front of everyone?"
"No... Normally he approaches me when I'm alone on my breaks"
No witnesses, so he knows he is being unreasonable with Jay, probably wants to make him quit himself so no blame comes after him... Jay is shy so he is taking advantage of that... If the other workers don't know anything about it like Jay said then...
The young man finishes combing his hair and turns to face Jay
"Don't worry " he says as he puts a hand on his shoulder. "He probably just wants to give your slot to someone else, just don't give in and quit, and try to talk about it more with your coworkers, he can't do anything more than scold you"
As the young man talks, Jay's expression seems to relax like if a huge rock was lifted from his back.
"Oh... Waw.. thanks bro! I was really worked up about it I thought I was a horrible worker..."
"Well, you are not, but sadly that doesn't mean much to a lot of people" the young man says as he gives Jay a slight slap on the shoulder. "Come on"
The two of them get out of the apartment and take their respective ways to their destinies.
As the young man walks through the city, he stops when he notices a public restroom and decides to go inside to make a last check on his appearance. As he expected, everything seemed good, his hair, his clothes, his posture, everything was good... Except for his face, it was just a 'no' for a first impression, he wasn't ugly or anything like that, but the dark, almost baggy outlines of his eyes were just too intimidating or even scary for the regular people, and his normal serious expression didn't help either. Out of curiosity he tried his best to act all cheerful in front of his reflection, "H...Hello there! Nice to meet you! My name is... Ugh... This is stupid" he lets out a sigh and gets out of the restroom a little embarrassed.
As the day goes on and hours pass by, he enters and leaves buildings with an annoyed expression on his face each time more evident, this was just another day of rejection like it has been for the last couple of months. Eventually he stops for a quick bite at a coffee shop.
With his cellphone in his hand he contemplates the idea of asking his roommates for help, maybe they can convince someone to hire him? As he is about to press the call button, he stops, is he really about to do that? What's stopping his finger? Pride? Why? They are his friends right? They surely will help out, plus right now it's a necessity for him to get a job. It's the right call.
...
As he puts down his phone and starts eating, he also begins to think.
I can't do that to them, I have to do this on my own, eventually I'll find something, even if it's far from the apartment i know I'll find something. Maybe even the next one might be the one... Yeah! That's it, the next one might just be the one! I can do this!
After boosting his own morale and finishing his break, he steps out of the shop with renewed strenght... And as if he was looking for it, he felt a strong bump on his way out that almost makes him fall over his butt, sadly the girl who collided with him didn't have such luck.
Instinctively he apologized "I'm sorry miss! Are you alr-" as the girl slowly turns her head to see her obstacle, for a really brief moment, the young man was able to see a portion of her face, and he immediately lost his voice.
You have to be kidding me... I know that look... Even if I'm not seeing her whole face, I know that eye very well... She is really pissed, not only angry, she probably comes here to take a break after a long and stressful day after work just to get knocked to the ground by some random stranger... I can almost feel her annoyance myself...
Am I really going to get yelled right at the door of the shop? Is this my fate for being overly positive? Of all the people I could have collided with...
Oh well... Just my luck...
This wasn't the first time this had happened to him, annoying an already annoyed person by accident, but this was the first time he was about to get an audience, the whole coffee shop was already with their sights pointed at the scene. He instinctively closed his eyes ready to face the avalanche that was about to fall...
"Oh maaaan! How can I be so clumsy!? I am so sorry mister!" Said the girl with a surprisingly cheerful and cute tone.
"...huh...?" The young man slowly opened his eyes to see a scene that made him go into a state of shock, in the place of the person that he was absolutely sure was about to discharge all of their anger on him, was a cheerful girl apologizing to him. His thoughts were too scrambled to even recognize the girl.
She suddenly grabbed his hand that he was offering seconds earlier to help her stand up, in response he jolted a little as he got a bit of lucidity back and helped her stand up, not losing his expression of shock.
"So clumsy! Tee hee!" She said doing a cute pose, the young man seemed unfazed."Ummm... Are you alright mister?!"
"..."
"Oh no! Did I scare you so bad your sugar got low or something?! Come here mister!" The girl suddenly grabbed his hand and made him sit on a table, he was like a zombie so he didn't oppose any resistance, she then went to the counter to make an order with a worried face.
What... The fuck was that?... Did I hallucinate or something? I'm sure I saw a completely different person for a split second there... How did she... Changed that quickly? Those emotions can't be suppressed that easily... Is she?...
He is finally brought back from his trance with the smell of tea and the words from the girl sitting in front of him.
"Helloooo! Earth to mister!"
"O...oh! I'm sorry I got distracted, I apologize, did you get hurt?" He says with a worried tone as he looks over to her, noticing the cap she is wearing now. She didn't have it earlier, must have fallen when she collided with him.
"Me!? I'm fine mister, I am worried about YOU! You looked like you saw a ghost or something, here, drink this" the girl says approaching the tea closer to him
"Tea?... Oh don't worry I'm fine now"
She replies with an exaggerated sad look
"But... I guess one cup can't hurt"
As he is slowly drinking, he takes a look at the girl, he didn't notice earlier because of the shock but she is beautiful, even under that cap her purplish hair is astonishing. But what got his full attention were her eyes, those eyes that seemed to be shifting between purplish and pink were simply breath taking.
Sadly, this realization of her beauty ultimately made him feel embarrassed.
Wait... Aren't they sitting on a table in a coffee shop? This could be misunderstood very easily by everyone here. And she is obviously young, he has to get out of here. He can already feel the imaginary eyes of everyone in the coffee shop pointed at him with disgust.
He quickly get his wallet out and drops some money before getting up and rushing out of the store "sorry I gotta go! It was nice meeting you miss and sorry again for the accident byee!" Is all he said as he was running out.
"Huh? Uh.. hey! Wait! At least say your... Name..." The girl said to the air, he was gone before she could finish, she lets out a cute pout as she sits again and rests her cheek on her palm in a thinking pose. What a strange man, even when he saw her without her cap and glasses, he didn't seem to recognize her, she thought his shock was because he did recognized her but now she isn't sure about that.
Her expression slowly takes a more serious turn as she gets lost in thought
Does he live under a rock? Why didn't he recognize her? He did seem to be a foreigner but they talked just fine so he must have been around a while now... So why?... And if he didn't recognize her, then why did he looked so shocked when he saw her?... What a strange man indeed...
...
Meanwhile the young man is running through the streets hoping he can make it in time, or at least not so late. A little smirk forms on his face, after a long while for the first time on this side of the ocean, he has hope.
Little did he know...
That random encounter, that completely unpredictable bump, just made the wheel of fate slowly start to turn...
Eyes and shadows that he cannot see or notice are already on him, some familiar, some unknown, whatever happens now they won't stop staring...
His fate is sealed