Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat. This amazing anime was created by Yoshiki Nakamura. I am only borrowing the awesome characters for now.
Editor / Beta Reader: Waffle (Thank you)
Rated Teen for mild violence, coarse language and / or sexually suggestive scenes.
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Catch Me If You Can
By: Swanna
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Chapter 5: The Proposal
Kyoko arrived in front of the LME Agency and locked her bicycle to the metal railing along the side of the road. With a lift of her head, she took a good look at the exterior of the structure. It had only been three days since she had come here, but her state of mind had been vastly different then.
The last time she had stood before this building, she had felt like an unwilling prey forced to deliver herself to the awaiting predator; today she came of her own free will to meet one of the most important people in her life.
A father figure.
Uncle Caterpillar was more of a father to her than her real father had ever been, at least since her parents had split up and he had started neglecting her in favour of gambling. Perhaps it was some sort of divine intervention or simply a sign that her luck was turning for the better; Kyoko was just thankful for being given the opportunity to reunite with her uncle again.
She entered the building and approached the front desk right away with the gold business card in hand, preparing to flash it like a badge at the same receptionist with an attitude. To her surprise, today it was a different girl with a friendlier countenance, who at least appeared to be delighted to serve visitors.
"Welcome to LME Agency. How may I assist you today?" asked the girl in a professional tone, looking up from her computer immediately.
"I'm here to see Takarada-san."
"I can certainly help you. May I have your name please?"
"Kyoko Mogami."
"Please give me a moment and I will notify the President for you, Mogami-san," she gave Kyoko a quick nod and smiled as she dialed a number on the phone. "Hello President, Mogami-san has arrived and is now awaiting your presence at the receptionist area."
Kyoko waited while the receptionist seemed to be listening to the phone intently. At least she didn't have to deal with the same girl as the other day, her day was already starting off better!
"I understand, President," the girl disconnected the call and rose from her office chair. "The President is waiting for you in his office, Mogami-san. Would you like me to show you the way?"
"Oh there's no need for that, I know the way but thank you," Kyoko declined politely and turned towards the elevators. As she walked away, she saw the receptionist bowing at her from the corner of her eye.
As she pressed the button and waited for the elevator to arrive, her chain of thoughts naturally swerved back to her uncle. It hadn't been easy for Kyoko to have the conversation that they'd shared a few days ago. Although it didn't make her uncomfortable per say, she was unaccustomed in sharing her background and personal problems with others.
There had been countless times that loneliness had built up within her and she had always yearned for someone to rely on. Whether they were good times, bad times or everything in-between, Kyoko had only wanted to share those moments with a friend who'd be willing to listen. But she had no one, and the loneliness hurt more than she cared to admit.
Good thing I still have Corn, Kyoko mused as she unconsciously tightened her grip on the strap of her bag with the magic stone inside.
It had been her silent companion through the years when she had no one else. Though she'd long since realized that it had no magical powers, it provided a comforting reassurance nonetheless. She'd been accustomed to having one-sided conversations with the stone instead of others for years now, as her life with her father did not allow time to forge close friendships with others.
And now that she'd reunited with her Uncle Caterpillar, she already felt less lonely.
Kyoko had been honest for the most part during their last conversation, but she had deliberately kept him in the dark about Murasame's existence and the whole arranged marriage ordeal.
Part of the reason was that she didn't want her father's only best friend to regard him as a complete disappointment despite how much his actions may have warranted such a judgement. Although she was young, she completely understood that true friends were hard to come by. She didn't have the heart to take away their years of friendship over her father's mistakes.
The other part was that he would become more persistent in trying to help her resolve the problem and pay off the debt, and she didn't want to take advantage of his kindness. He had always showered her with care through the years and she had always been very grateful for it, however she did not want to impose on him more than she already was. Besides, in the end it wasn't all about the large sum of money anyways. Murasame wanted a wife, and it wasn't a deal that her uncle could just waltz in and call off that easily.
To put it plainly, there was no reason to get others drawn in by her personal problems when she had everything under control for the time being.
"Have you heard of the latest rumor about director Naito and the young actress, Ibuka?" A woman asked her female colleague as they were waiting for the elevator behind Kyoko, pulling her mind back to reality.
"No, what did you hear?"
Great. Nosy women prying their noses into other people's businesses was just what Kyoko needed at this moment. Was it her or was the elevator taking really long to arrive?
"So you know how Ibuka has always played supporting characters in drama series right? I heard that she was able to land herself the leading role in Naito's new drama this time because they're having an affair."
Kyoko heard a breathless gasp. "No way! Isn't Naito already married?"
"Yes and he also has two kids but so what? When does that ever stop men from having flings outside of their marriages?"
"It's hard to believe that such a hardworking man like Naito is an unfaithful cheater. Ibuka seems like an innocent girl too...Is your source even reliable or is it all bogus?"
Although she told herself that she had no interest in their meaningless gossip, when the woman lowered her voice in an attempt to whisper Kyoko's ears instinctively perked up.
"Keep quiet about it but there was a night when someone from the company saw Naito's car parked outside of Ibuka's home."
"Really?! That's so shameless of them! I feel so horrible for his wife…"
"Tell me about it. I blame the man for his infidelity when he should have known better than to cheat and lie to his spouse. Men are the worst."
The elevator finally arrived with a ding and the double doors slid open. Kyoko was the first to enter into it with the women following closely after her. The moment she pressed the button for the tenth floor, the whispers immediately started again from behind.
"Did you see that? She's going up to the tenth floor to the President's office."
"I've never seen her around here before either…I don't think she works here."
If you're going to gossip about me then do it discreetly! I can hear you in this tight space! Kyoko fumed inwardly but decided not to make a scene and kept her eyes at the floor indication light.
"What relationship do you think she has with the President?"
That did it for Kyoko. She decided to cut their dangerous trail of thoughts before it got too far. It was one thing if she was being gossiped about, but Uncle Caterpillar was the President of LME Company and his reputation was at stake here.
"Oh no, I've pressed the wrong button to the tenth floor," she spoke out loud, acting all embarrassed about her error as she pushed the button to the ninth floor instead. "I didn't mean to do that. Good thing you two are getting off before me, otherwise I would have caused delay for you both."
"That's quite alright, we're not in a hurry anyway so don't worry about it," said one of the women.
That seemed to do the trick as both women ceased their brusque whisperings instantly. They got off when the elevator arrived at the third floor and as they walked out, Kyoko heard them greeting someone just outside the elevator.
"Hello, Yashiro-san. How are you today?"
"I'm great, thank you for asking. How are you both doing?" Replied a male voice.
Kyoko held door open button as she waited patiently for them to end their chitchat, though the temptation to close the elevator doors on them was very inviting at the moment.
"I'm sorry to interrupt but are you coming in?" She called out, her patience was wearing thin.
"Oh yes, I'm coming. I will talk to you ladies at another time, please take care."
"You too, Yashiro-san."
A man with short brown hair and glasses entered the elevator. "I'm sor-"
His sentence was broken off the moment he laid eyes on Kyoko. The odd pause and his stare of unabashed curiosity made her uncomfortable; her wariness instinctively rose up a notch.
"I'm sorry about the wait," he stated shortly after recovering from the startling silence.
"That's okay."
Kyoko saw the puzzled expression on the man's face when he took a look at the buttons panel. Feeling the need to explain herself, she quickly jumped in using the same excuse.
"I pressed the wrong floor, I meant to go to the ninth floor instead."
"Ah, I see."
He selected the sixth floor button on the panel and they both rode the elevator in awkward silence for a moment.
"It's funny," he began as he pushed his glasses up his nose. His gesture reminded Kyoko of a relentless detective who was about to see through a criminal's lie. "I know most of the staff on the ninth floor but I don't believe we've met before. Do you work on that floor?"
Crap, this was not good. This was not good at all.
"No. I um…" her mind suddenly became blank as she struggled to come up with a plausible lie. "I have…I came here for…"
"Are you here for the newcomer casting audition?"
"Yes…Yes!" Kyoko admitted all too excitedly on a spur of the moment. "I'm here to participate as a candidate! That's exactly what I came here for!"
"Is that so? Isn't that interesting." Again with the detective's tone of voice but he made no further comments.
The elevator doors opened as they finally reached his destination. The man exited out of the elevator, but he turned around unexpectedly and said, "Well, I wish you the best of luck with your audition."
Kyoko forced a smile and gave a meek thank you in reply.
It was only when the doors were closed once again that she was able to exhale a deep breath that she'd been holding in. This had really turned out to be one hell of an eventful elevator ride for her.
X X X
Ren sat in front of a long rectangular mirror with lights surrounding the edges like borders, placidly allowing the makeup artist to style his hair and apply subtle powdered makeup to even out his skin tone on camera. He had a photo shoot later today to take promotional photos for the upcoming drama series, Love of Fortune.
"I'm sorry that you have to use the shared dressing room instead of your own, Tsuruga-san," the makeup artist named Sarah apologized with sincerity while applying some sort of leave-in conditioner throughout his hair.
Most of the time he didn't bother to pay heed to the hair products that were used on him. If it was up to him, all he needed was his hands to mold his hair into the shape that he wanted with his favored choice of hair gel. But for work purposes he had no problem sitting through time consuming hair treatments, to achieve the desired camera-ready appearances that were required for television.
"It's not even your fault so there's no need for apologies," Ren replied in a friendly manner, and he meant it.
"The maintenance worker mentioned that he will be able to finish changing the air vent filters by the end of the day today, so your room should be ready to use tomorrow."
"It's no trouble at all, I know the maintenance is needed and for my benefit. It would be callous of me to be any less accepting."
His response seemed to please her. "You know Tsuruga-san, I've met and worked with many celebrities in this line of business, but none of them are half as considerate and accommodating as you."
"I'm just treating others as I wish to be treated."
"Well it's appreciated nonetheless. Your hair and makeup are done. There is already a matching outfit prepared for you when you're ready. Why don't you try it on while I get the other suits for you from the laundry room so that we can make alterations on the spot if needed?"
"Sounds like a plan. Thank you for your help, Sarah."
"My pleasure." She smiled and was just about to take her leave when there was a knock at the door.
Sarah opened the door for Yukihito and gave him a small nod of her head as she passed him on the way out of the room.
As soon as the door was closed, Yukihito came up to Ren and gave him a suspiciously wide smirk. He looked like there was something exciting that he couldn't wait to share but he only stared at Ren wordlessly. Was he waiting for Ren to take the bait first and ask?
When Ren refused to fall for his trap, Yukihito couldn't help himself and asked, "Guess who I ran into in the elevator just now?!"
"Akira Maeno?" She was a rising young Japanese singer and songwriter that Yukihito had admired since her debut single had been released last summer. That would explain his fervent enthusiasm.
"Akira Maeno is here?!" His manager's eyes budged.
"No, but I would have guessed she was based on your excitement."
"Oh. Yeah, it would be very nice if I can meet her in person one day…" stated Yukihito as he stared far into the distance almost dreamingly. "But never mind that for now. I saw that girl from the lobby the other day."
Ren had a faint idea of who his manager was referring to but he didn't want to jump to conclusions, so he let him continue.
"Remember the girl who was demanding the President's presence and then embracing him lovingly in public? She mentioned her name to the receptionist that day but I don't remember it…"
Ren remembered.
Kyoko Mogami.
He almost wanted to test the name on his tongue but decided to remain silent.
There was something arresting about that girl.
It was her eyes, he had told himself at first. Even from a distance, he couldn't help noticing how golden-colored and intense they were.
That day Ren had kept watching her at the lobby even though he didn't know what had brought on his unbecoming curiosity. Then he'd realized that it was more than her eyes that he found fascinating. She talked with her hands, her eyes and her whole body. She was as animated a woman as he had ever seen, yet there was something more to her. Something sensual as his revived memories recalled the night when he had first met her by the shore and how she'd moved her hands down her body.
"She came to see the President again!" His manager disclosed, reeling Ren's distracted thoughts back to reality. "At first she tried to hide the fact that she was heading to the top floor where the President's office is, so she also pressed the button for the ninth floor and told me that she selected the wrong floor by mistake."
"Maybe she really did press the wrong button and was going to the ninth floor instead," Ren justified, trying to remain unbiased.
Yukihito smirked again. "Hah, I know hard evidence is needed so that's why I tricked her into self-disclosure."
Ren turned to his manager and this time he asked with interest, "How did you trick her?"
"I told her that I don't recognize her as an employee here so I asked if she works on the ninth floor. She appeared all nervous and started stuttering. A person doesn't stutter unless they're in stressful situations and becoming anxious. So I gave her a way out and asked if she was here for the newcomer casting audition and she actually said yes."
When his manager didn't get the desirable reaction that he had been anticipating from Ren, Yukihito continued as if he needed to connect the dots of his storytelling for him.
"But ninth floor is where the Marketing and Finance teams are located, so why would she tell me she's having an audition on the floor with corporate departments only? That's because she's hiding the fact that she's seeing the President!"
There was a moment of silence as Ren remained straight-faced. Yukihito could be unexpectedly shifty with his tactics.
"Are you not surprised like I was? Am I going to get any reaction out of you at all?"
"It's too bad that you didn't choose to be a detective for your profession, Yashiro-san. It's really a waste of your potential." Ren made a mental note to remind himself to be extra careful around his manager in the future.
If his manager had detected a hint of sarcasm, then he didn't show it.
"Do you think she's really the President's lover? She's young enough to be his daughter though," he asked inquisitively, rubbing his chin.
"I don't really care because it's none of my business." It was the truth. Or at least it was half-true since he felt the irrational urge to unearth the mystery of their connection too. Somehow the thought of them in an intimate relationship irritated Ren, a surge of annoyance so unusual that it startled him.
It's their age-gap, he convinced himself. Just like Yukihito said, Lory is twice her age, old enough to be her dad.
Yes, that must have been it. The girl also looked underage too so that would have made it morally wrong if Lory was indeed dating her.
"But are you even a bit curious about their relationship?"
"Nope," he lied. "I have other priorities to-"
Yukihito's cell phone rang, interrupting their conversation. His manager quickly answered the call and motioned to Ren that he would take the call outside.
Ren turned to look at himself in mirror. Whatever relationship those two had, it really had absolutely nothing to do with him. Rather than prying into other people's lives, he should keep his head in the game and focus on work-related matters instead. With his motivation restored, Ren picked up the attire that was perfectly laid out on the couch and walked towards the corner of the dressing room to change.
X X X
"You want to what?" Kyoko couldn't believe her ears. She wasn't quite sure if she had fully understood her uncle's career proposition.
Truth be told, she'd been having this nudging suspicion that he had called her to meet up today to discuss work. But this was definitely something completely unexpected.
"I will be establishing a new section within LME and I want you to be the first member," he patiently watched her reaction and waited.
"And what do I have to do as a member…?" She had no idea what her uncle might want and whatever his proposal, she had a feeling she would not like it one bit.
"It will be more or less an assistant type of role that requires you to provide support to other departments in the company." When Kyoko only responded with an uncertain frown, he urged on and said, "Think of yourself as a floater who will be performing a variety of duties whenever the need arises."
"Uncle Caterpillar," Kyoko began, reminding herself to tread carefully with her choice of words. "While I appreciate the time and effort you've put into this plan, and I'm very grateful for the opportunity, but don't you think it'd be a lot less troublesome to just have me work as a secretary instead?"
"For someone with such high energy levels as yourself, do you think you can cope well with a job behind a desk for eight to ten hours a day?"
He did have a point. At the same time, was it a good idea though?
She stared at her uncle without seeing him, trying to imagine herself in the new role. It wasn't that she couldn't do the work, she'd worked at a variety of different part-time jobs while she was in New York and had developed all the required skillsets, so she knew she could manage this role too. The question was, did she want to?
Uncle Caterpillar had made himself very clear that he had wanted to do something for her, including giving her a position in his company so he could watch over her as an elder. An obligement for old time's sake, and Kyoko wasn't sure if she would ever be able to repay his kindness.
And no, it is more than that, she realized.
She knew that if she accepted his offer then it would allow her to build a stronger relationship with him, the familial type that she hadn't felt in a very long time. But she knew that given her dire situation, if she was recognized then she would have to quickly leave and go into hiding again. She knew that she would cause grief and pain to someone who had been nothing but supportive to her since she was a child and she wasn't sure that she wanted to put him through that.
"Uncle Caterpillar, I don't think-"
He lifted his hand, interrupting her from continuing. "I know what you want to say. As your father's close friend and as your elder, it is my responsibility to take care of you in your father's place until when he returns and you can resume a normal life. And frankly, everything has been decided so you will do as I say whether you agree to it or not."
In other words, this was an absolute order that she couldn't disobey. Although Kyoko was fully aware that he had just pulled the card of being their only family friend on her, there was little room for a refusal without being disrespectful.
Kyoko bit back an attempt to sigh. Maybe it was a sign and she was meant to accept this job offer. After all there was no point in reuniting with her Uncle Caterpillar if she was never meant to re-bond with him again, was there?
Taking a deep breath and hoping that she was making the right decision, she told him, "I understand uncle and I will accept this proposal."
He clapped his hands in happiness at her response. "That's great, Kyoko! I knew you would accept this opportunity."
As if you gave me much choice here…she thought to herself while giving him a weak smile.
"And you know, we even have a name for this section too," he grinned widely at her.
"Oh yeah? What's the name?"
"It will be called the 'Love Me Section'!" He announced with both palms placed over his chest.
Kyoko immediately burst into laughter and repeated after him, "'Love Me Section'?!"
He paused for a few seconds before asking curiously, "What's so funny about the name?"
"That's such a cheesy name! I can't believe someone in their right mind would come up with something that!"
He remained quiet.
Kyoko continued in between her laughs. "Did your Marketing team suggest that name, uncle? If so then please tell them to change it, this is way too embarrassing even for me."
"Actually I was the one who came up with that name."
That confession instantly annihilated Kyoko's laughter. Her body became rigid from nervousness as she ventured a daring peek at her uncle's face.
"But of course, an old man like me can only come up with cheesy names like that."
"Uncle I didn't mean-"
"And now I can't help but feeling a little hurt," he said with a hand covering his face.
"I'm so sorry, uncle!" Kyoko rose from the sofa abruptly and bowed at him apologetically. "I didn't mean to offend you with my rudeness. Please forgive me! On second thought, the name is already growing on me and I think it is very appealing!"
"Are you sure it's not too cheesy and embarrassing even for you?"
"No, no, no. Absolutely not! It will be my greatest honor to become a Love Me Section member!"
He lifted his head up. "Don't force yourself."
"Oh I insist to have that name, Uncle Caterpillar!" She reassured him a beaming smile.
"If you insist," he stood up and started walking to the corner of the office. "I also have your uniform prepared too."
"Uniform? Uniform is good. That's awesome, I'm very excited to see my work uniform!"
Kyoko followed after her uncle, feeling as if she had just dodged a bullet. If only she could learn to shut up and stop saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, she would avoid a lot of the unnecessary trouble.
"Here's your uniform! What do you think?" He spun around with another big grin, holding up the bright bumble-gum hot pink jumpsuit by the hanger.
Kyoko's smile dropped and was immediately replaced with a frown. Not bothering to answer, she turned on her heels to leave but her uncle made a grab at the back of her denim jacket, pulling her back.
"It's very rude to leave in the middle of a conversation, Kyoko."
"Quit pulling my legs here, Uncle Caterpillar! The name is one thing, but how can you expect me to wear that in public?! This is pure humiliation!" she shouted while struggling to shake off his iron grip.
So much for trying to be discreet about her appearance. Murasame could probably see her from the moon if she wore this! Not a chance! No way in hell she would put this on!
"That's enough, Kyoko!" His voice rose enough to remind Kyoko of his authority. "I already told you everything has been decided, and you will go along with it even if you don't like it."
She stopped with her struggles and slumped her shoulders forward in defeat. There was just no way she could win against him.
"Hmm, seems like it's a size too big for you," he noticed as he placed the jumpsuit against her back for a quick measurement. "I will have someone alter this for you so it will be ready when you start work next Monday."
"Next Monday?! So soon? But I still have my part-time job at the fast food restaurant…"
"Then quit there this weekend," he stated matter-of-factly. "Now go and speak to Takenori Sawara, he will be the manager for the Love Me Section and will be assigning you with different tasks and assignments. I've already made arrangements with him so he is expecting you right now."
He passed her the man's business name card with a contact number on it. "Go and find him on the sixth floor, his office is the third one to the right when you get off the elevator. He will provide orientation around the company before you leave."
Kyoko nodded and was about to dismiss herself but she couldn't help trying one more time. "So about the uniform…May I make a small suggestion?"
Although he didn't interrupt her, he squinted his eyes at her in silence.
"Is that look a no…? I can't really tell when you're not saying anything…" She was definitely pushing her luck.
The silence stretched on as he crossed his arms.
"Well, can't say I didn't try, haha…" with that, Kyoko quickly left his office to meet this Takenori Sawara guy.
X X X
It took Kyoko a good five minutes to get back down to the sixth floor. There was definitely heavier traffic on this level, with more employees passing by the hallways as they scurried to their work destinations. She wondered if she would fit in a substantial company like LME Agency. After all, her previous work experience had been limited to restaurants, convenience stores and cafes. Knowing that she had just secured a position within apparently one of the biggest talent agencies in Japan was somewhat unnerving for her.
Kyoko figured she would make a good use of the opportunity during this orientation and ask as many questions as she could about the company, including her responsibilities so that she would be well prepared on her official first day. Luckily she had always kept a palm-size notebook in her bag at all times to jot down notes when situations called for it.
"Third room to the right after I get off the elevator…so it should be this one," Kyoko mumbled to herself and stopped in front of a room with no sign around.
With Takenori Sawara's business card still in her hand, she gave the door a faint knock but received no response.
When she knocked more firmly and there was still no answer, she let herself into the room. The moment she walked in, she noticed the makeup vanity tables, lighted mirrors, and an opened makeup case sitting on top of the surface; a few metal racks full of hanging clothes were stationed at the side. It took a full second for her confused mind to register that she had just entered a fitting room instead of an office.
Just when she realized that she may have possibly made a mistake and went into the wrong room, a voice called out and asked, "Yashiro-san, is that you?"
The instant Kyoko heard a male's voice, she panicked. Oh my God, there's a man behind the curtains changing!
As she was having cold feet and did not want to be mistaken as a female pervert, she decided to flee as soundlessly as she could but the voice called out again. "Yashiro-san?"
Kyoko made a grunting noise as masculine as she could muster, pretending to be whoever this man was looking for so that it would buy her some time while she tiptoed towards the door.
"Could you pass me the pair of grey pants on the couch please?"
She looked around and saw the trouser lying on the couch's armrest next to her. Dragging in an unsteady deep breath, Kyoko hastily grabbed it and rushed up to the closed curtains. Just as she was tossing the trouser over the curtain rod, the business card fell out of her hand.
"Thanks," said the man.
Kyoko's hands fisted in silent frustration at her own clumsiness before crouching down on her all fours to search for the card that slipped under one of the nearby tables. Since her arm wasn't long enough, she had to move in more while sticking her head under a chair so that she could reach further out.
Right when her hand was about to touch the card, the curtains slid open next to her.
"The pants are a bit too tight, I think it needs to be-" The man immediately froze at the sight of her presence, his eyes widening in shock.
Kyoko blinked twice, staring in disbelief at the man's half-naked body; her eyes subconsciously trailed from his hard chest, to the planes of his muscular abdomen, and down towards his navel where he had left his pants unzipped, revealing part of his underpants visible.
Reality jolted Kyoko like a physical blow and out of panic she tried to sit up on her knees, but only succeeded in hitting the back of her head on the underside of the chair with a loud thud. She winced and hissed in pain, already rubbing the back of her head to relieve the soreness.
"Are you alright?" she heard the man ask, his voice sounding genuinely concerned.
Kyoko swore she didn't hear any knocking prior to the door being flung open. From her angle, she saw a pair of man's legs walking into the room as he spoke, "Sorry the call took a whi-"
Then there was an awkward pause again.
"Oh my, what is going on in here?" exclaimed the man at the entrance. She could tell from his tone that he was already jumping to conclusions. A very bad one at that.
"What the hell is this?! Who are you?!" A woman shouted as she stormed past the man and into the room.
Kyoko quickly crawled out and rose to her feet. There was instant recognition between her and the man in the doorway. It was the same man she had met on the elevator earlier today. Great! She had to talk her way out of this!
After giving the other guy a head-to-toe look, the man suggested to him, "Maybe you should get dressed while we handle this."
Kyoko refused to meet eyes with the half-naked man. If she did, she would die from embarrassment right then and there. The man obliged and stepped back into the changing area, swinging the curtains closed.
"Who are you?! How did you get in here?" The woman questioned her with fierce anger.
"I'm so sorry! I was actually looking for Sawara-san but I obviously entered the wron-"
"Why are you looking for Sawara-san?" asked the man with glasses. But just when Kyoko was about to explain further, the woman cut her off again.
"Are you a paparazzi? An obsessed fan who's trying to ambush Tsuruga-san?!"
"What?! No! Who's Tsuruga-san?! I am not trying to ambush him!"
"Ren Tsuruga. You don't know who that is?"
Why did Kyoko have a sense of deju vu with this conversation? While she was trying to come up with an acceptable answer to untangle herself from this mess, the man with glasses suddenly doubled over, bursting into laughter.
"I'm sorry," he struggled to speak in between his laughs. "It's just too unbelievable that there's a girl in Japan who doesn't know who Ren Tsuruga is. It's quite funny!"
What was so damn funny about that! If he wasn't the President of Japan then why should she be obligated to know who he was?!
"Don't let her trick you, Yashiro-san! I'm going to call the police right now so that they can arrest this peeping tom!" The woman took out her mobile phone and starting dialing the numbers on it.
"Wait! No, please just listen to me!" Kyoko pleaded but to no avail. So she decided to do the only thing that she could think of.
"Oh thank god you're here to explain the situation for me!" She turned to the doorway with a huge grin of relief plastered on her face.
The moment the two of them turned their heads to the empty doorway, Kyoko took the fleeting chance and dashed out of the room full speed.
"How dare you trick us! Come back here, peeping tom!" The woman shouted after her but Kyoko refused to turn her head back as she fled the scene.
Once Kyoko reached the lobby, the receptionist stood and bid her farewell with a bow while she ran out of the glass doors. Her legs never stopped running until she was at the corner of the company and she hid behind the building.
Crouching down, Kyoko peered out to make sure no one was chasing after her before she released a sigh of ease. Reliving the moment, she still couldn't believe the situation she found herself in. It had been so embarrassing that she wished the ground would swallow her up so that she could disappear from the face of the earth.
She buried her face in her forearm, leaning against the wall of the building; her other free hand was banging at the wall repeatedly. "I'm so embarrassed that I want to die right now!"
"Is that girl okay?" A passerby asked her friend next to her.
"Didn't you know? LME is holding a newcomer casting audition today. Maybe she didn't make it so now she's crying on the street."
"That poor girl…I've actually considered going but I guess it's a good thing that I changed my mind."
"You? Audition? Don't make me laugh!"
"Eh?! What is that supposed to mean? You're so mean, senpai!"
What did it take for her to have a private moment?! And why did everyone have to talk behind her back as if she wasn't there?! She'd had enough!
She spun around and shot them a glare. "Can't you both carry on your conversation somewhere else?! I was here first!"
Stunned by her sudden outburst, the two scurried away leaving Kyoko by herself once again. Her mind jumped back to the situation at hand. Those people obviously worked for the same company and she would have a lot of explaining to do if she ever bumped into them again.
No, LME Agency was a massive company and it would be easy to avoid them. Even if she was unfortunate enough to meet that guy again, she would just have to run in the opposite direction.
Yes, that's the plan.
After all, she was becoming quite an expert in running away.
X X X
AUTHOR NOTE:
First off, I must give a big thank you to those of you who haven't abandoned me and this story yet! I was so happy to see some of the familiar names when I've read the reviews and know that you are still with me! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed / favorited / followed the story since my last update, I was really motivated and hence I was able to complete and post up chapter 5 this weekend!
Special thanks to the following reviewers:
Zealith: You were one of the reasons that got me started writing again after six months. When I received your review in October, I felt so happy (and guilty) that you haven't forgotten about me after so long. I really want to express my thanks to you for your amazing support and for giving me that little nudge (which I'd obviously needed) to write again. I am still terribly sorry that I've made you waited for so long. Thank you!
Reihime: Thank you for not abandoning me even though I've been such a bad writer and made you wait for months! I promise Murasame will make his appearance in this fic (eventually) because I already have plans for him. Thank you for your review!
Guest: I'm sorry that I've made you wait for so many months, Guest. But I'm glad that you haven't given up on this fic yet! Thank you for your continuous support and hope to see you soon again!
Miyu Kokomi: Thank you for your review, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!
Puffinzero: Yes, I'm alive lol. I am very sorry for the six months of wait time, you are right, it was a really, really long time…but thank you for not abandoning me! I will definitely update more frequently especially when the story plot can finally move along now.
Rouus94: I must say, your reviews were the cutest and I couldn't help but cracked up when I was reading them. You're so cute lol. I promise the plots will only get more interesting from here on and I won't disappoint you! Once again, thank you for staying with me even after I've disappeared for so long.
Natsu Heel: You are so kind, I know the previous chapter wasn't as eventful since it was a filler chapter, but I'm glad to know that you found it interesting. Your wish of seeing Ren and Kyoko's interaction will definitely be fulfilled on next chapter so make sure to stay tune for more! Thank you for your continuous support after all these months, Natsu Heel!
Tabbykatroses: Thank you for providing guidance to me so that I could keep Kyoko in character. I remember your pointers when I wrote chapter 4 and I'm happy to know that I haven't disappointed you. I'm truly sorry for the long wait but I'm glad that you haven't given up on me yet!
Big 'Thank You' to my great friend, Waltzing Muse! Thank you for giving me ideas when I was stuck! You are and will always be my FanFiction soul-mate! Love you!
Next chapter will be Kyoko's first day working at LME. What will happen next when she meets Ren again? Stay tune to find out more!
Hope everyone will enjoy the rest of your weekend! I will see you again soon. Happy New Year!