| Fan Fiction |
by biniBningPunkista
I miss cuddling Mao.
With this thought I shook my head vigorously trying to clear my mind, warding off the urge to call her. My hand wanted to reach out for my phone and it’s taking all my will power to do it.
I have to do this alone.
My future cannot handle a family with Mao if my own family affairs are broken. I wouldn’t want to burden her with my thoughts of “what if’s” and “if only” when the time comes. My mother and father would be hunting me down till the day they die and have me commit to them with my life if that’s even possible, but that could never happen if only I was strong enough to face them and find my own resolution. All of this I have to face alone.
In the middle of my thoughts, I didn’t notice that my phone was ringing. Picking it up gradually, I looked at the caller ID.
Dammit. I forgot this wasn’t really my phone. It was the phone that Fujiki-san gave to me yesterday.
“Mosh-mosh?” I answered intentionally in Japanese.
“Yo Tomato-kun! I’m right here at the lobby be here in five minutes or else I’ll come up and drag you down.” It was Rainie.
“I never thought you could be this annoying. Can you just leave me alone even for one day?” I asked her getting irritated by her presence. As if waiting for my father to meet me wasn’t enough to deal with, now I have to deal with my childhood friend who also professed to love me.
My truthful wish for today is that Mike He would whisk this annoying girl out of my face.
“I can’t, I am indebted to your father… and he did ask me a favor. So I’m dragging you with me. I’ll be shooting with Mike today on different places. It’s a good opportunity for you to see the city.” She answered nonchalantly.
Rainie already had everything figured out. It took a second for me to think if I would go or not. If I stayed here in the hotel room I would just blow my head off by thinking too much. It’s better to be with some bunch of people to keep my mind off from unpleasant things.
“Souka, make that ten minutes. I need a quick shower.” I said quickly then I heard some grumbling from the other end of the line before I hang up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was brought along with the magazine production group in a huge mall where they even have a space to put a Ferris wheel at the side. It’s like a theme park, only it was a mall.
The people were already setting up make up stands, clothes and the set. Using the mall’s Ferris wheel as the back ground was one of Rainie’s first idea of a back drop. And here I was tagging along to watch these people work.
As everyone took their places, Mike He was wearing a purple cashmere sweater on, khaki pants, black suede shoes and a silver long necklace. I would say that the attire was definitely not my taste. I was trying hard not to laugh, I never thought I would be enjoying myself here as I criticized Mike’s wardrobe.
Three hours later they finally took a break through Rainie’s order, Mike took the sit on my right while Rainie took the other on my left.
“You’re dressing up wasn’t really much boring to watch. I wonder how much you’ve paid your stylist? I found her pairing pretty hilarious Mike. Maybe you should shift your whole ward robe to your stylists’ preferences?” I told him jokingly.
“Man, I feel what you feel. As I keep posing for the camera I’m trying so hard not to rip them apart… I really hate those clothes.” He grumbled to himself as he drank from a bottle of water.
“Maybe I should just fire that stylist then?” Rainie said to no one specifically as she looked at the pictures she’s just taken and was downloading into her laptop. Mike looked at her hopefully when she turned to look at his face.
“Nah… I find pleasure in seeing you in utter helplessness and besides that’s not my job. It’s someone else’s so don’t grovel at me.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at this as I listen to them spit out fashion comments on each other. They really look good together. If only something romantic WAS really going on. With Rainie’s attitude though, I doubt anything would happen soon.
Rainie was looking intently at her screen when she suddenly turned her head to my side, a huge grin pasted on her face.
“What?” I asked.
“Can you stand there with Mike?” She pointed in front of her.
“What for?” Trying to mask my curiosity.
“Just stand in front of me! What’s wrong with you just standing in front of me?” Rainie said with irritation in her voice. She doesn’t like people asking her too many questions. I grudgingly stood beside Mike with complete contempt in my face, while Mike stood their looking confused.
With a swift motion Rianie got her camera and the shutter clicked quickly without giving me and Mike time to react. We both had contempt and confusion on our faces when Rainie took our pictures.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It never occurred to me that having a friend who’s a photographer has its glitches. All of a sudden the lurker that I was supposed to be… became a model wannabe beside the actor hot shot of Taiwan. Talk about being at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Why did I ever let myself be dragged out like this?
The crew and everyone realized what was happening, as soon as Rainie got her camera and clicked away they all clamored around us and made their own comments. Like wanting to dress me up, letting me pose this and that beside Mike. They all agreed simultaneously that I should be included in the shoot. Everything was re-arranged and clothes were suddenly picked out for me. I just stood there helplessly when the stylist got me dressed up and heaven forbid… put make up on my freaking face!!!
What the hell is happening here?!? I was just here to watch. JUST TO WATCH! I wasn’t a fucking Ken Doll to play with. Why was I thrown into a full gear pictorial all of a sudden?
My eyes threw daggers at Rainie as she continued to take my pictures with Mike. I’ll give her hell for this. I swear I’ll give her hell for this.
I was too tired and stunned to even complain with what was happening. Everything just went in a blur. Things started to run their course according to Rainie’s instruction. I told her I wouldn’t pose since it wasn’t my idea to do the shoot and I hate smiling just because I was told to do so. Rainie just beamed at me and told me to just stand there look at the camera and everything will set into place even if I didn’t want it to be.
“Is this what you really do for a living?” I asked Mike with an arched eyebrow as we stood in the middle of the photo shoot area not caring that Rainie was already taking pictures.
“Aside from owning a business, acting and trying to be a role model for everyone? Yes. I could say this is part of my job description.” He nodded shamelessly at me.
“You’ll get the hang of it once you become a celebrity like me.” Mike grinned at me, which made me want to puke.
“Who told you I want to be one? Are you insinuating that I will be just like you?” I told him completely creeped out with that thought. This thought never came into my head, it’s enough that my girl friend is a celebrity already.
“Well you being the heir of Kennishiro Tomoko already make you one. It’s already given.” He smirked at me not even giving thought on lowering his voice as he mentioned my father’s name.
Everyone who was watching us, were now gawking at me, then a sudden buzzing sound spread around as they talked loudly about me and my father. I looked around getting more and more uncomfortable as people started to talk about me, not caring that I could hear and understand them.
What the hell is wrong with this people?!?
“SHUT THE HELL UP EVERYONE!!!” Rainie stamped her feet in front of her as soon as she realized that everyone was talking loudly. She shook her head angrily and looked everybody in the eye.
“I’m working here. If you want to lose your jobs right now keep talking and you can walk out of here right this instant.” She glared at each person who was present before looking back at me and Mike.
“You.” She said sternly as she pointed her index finger straight at me.
Why does she always have to do that gesture to me, its starts to get annoying.
“Look at me, and you!” She was now pointing at Mike with the same gesture.
“Stop talking to him. Just look at the freaking camera!” Rainie shouted before she went back to work.
“I wonder why I am attracted to girls like her. I must be pretty weird for an actor…” Mike whispered to me.
“Thank God I got over her already when I was still a kid.” I snickered at him.
My uneasiness was still there, even though I knew Mike was trying to alleviate my feelings on what just happened earlier. I gave a side glance to him as he continued to give serious looks to Rainie and her camera. This made me wonder what kind of person this guy really is.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here I was back in my hotel room with the air-conditioning in full blast, I stared at the ceiling as I sprawled on top of my bed. My mind was void of thinking anything about my father because of the fact I was dead beat from Rainie’s photo shoot. I never ever thought I would be doing something like this in my life. First of all I hated cameras. It was only Mao and Erika who consistently argued with me to take pictures with them. If it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t even have memories with my friends captured on paper.
Second, I was tired from walking and standing at different places. Who knew Taiwan can be this big and hot this time of year? I was sweating like a pig during the photo shoot that I was amazed at how Mike still looked fresh on his clothes whereas I felt I was soaking in mine.
“The secret to looking fresh is to internalize that you are cold even though in reality you’re already sweltering in heat. It’s just all in the mind.”
I remember Mike telling me this as he pointed at his temple, while I looked so miserable thinking I was already melting from the heat. I wanted to laugh at his statement because it didn’t work for me but my inside joke faded when I looked at him unaffected by the heat. Unfortunately his mind over matter theory seemed to work pretty well for him but not for me.
Lying there on top of the bed, made me doze off… then the LG prada phone rang mercilessly waking me up in an instant. Grudgingly, I sat up to get the phone from the side table. I checked out the caller ID.
It was just a number.
“Mosh mosh? Who’s this?” I asked.
“Toma. This is your father.” The man on the other end of the line answered.
I was speechless at the moment. My voice didn’t seem to work properly, I haven’t heard from him for years and now… all of a sudden with this phone call I get to hear his voice again.
“Let’s meet up somewhere tonight, Harada Natsuki would be picking you up at this moment. I’ll see you in few minutes, son.” Then there was a click.
“Mosh mosh?” I called out to the no one.
What the hell was that about? Was that really my father?
I was in the middle of thinking that the phone call was just a figment of my imagination when there was a loud knock on my door.
I walked over to see who it was. Unsurprisingly it was Harada Natsuki, right on the clock.
Then the phone call wasn’t really just my mind playing tricks on me. It was real.
Hurriedly I got my jacket before opening the door, that’s when I saw a white velvet box fall down from the pocket of my jacket. Kneeling down to pick it up, my heart clenched with nostalgia.
It’s just been two days since I left from Japan, already, I was feeling homesick. I looked at the box in my hand and gently opened it. It was an engagement ring, the ring that I wasn’t even able to buy back home. It slipped my mind to get one before actually proposing, with all the things that has been happening in my life, I didn’t have the time to think and buy Mao an engagement ring.
On my way home, I saw this thin silver ring with three embedded small diamonds that was formed in a triangular shape, it was in front of the jewelry shop in the mall where we had the photo shoot. The memory of my empty handed proposal seared through my heart as soon as I saw the engagement ring. Although Mao didn’t give an ounce of complain for my ringless proposal, I still couldn’t help thinking that I was such a loser for forgetting about that vital thing.
Partially I bought the ring out of guilt but most of all, I knew that she would love it.
An impatient rasping on the door came to bring me back to my senses. I almost forgot that I was going to meet my father, day dreaming should be set later. As soon as I opened the door Natsuki bowed at me with courtesy, just as the ten escorts she had with her did the same.
Wow. My father’s power and fame was underrated by me. First a popular actor knew him, and now this? Five escorts walked before me and the other five was behind, all the while Natsuki walked by my side silently. I followed suit without asking questions. When we got out of the hotel two black cars and a limousine which was heavily tinted situated in the middle was already waiting. Fujiki Naohito bowed before opening the door for me.
I will never get used to this.
When I entered the limousine and sat down, it was cozy and dimly lit. Then a deep voice spoke before me.
“Toma. How was your stay in Taiwan?” A man who looked older than me by mere numbers of years asked with a soft smile on his face.
I was astounded to realize, that the man inside the limousine with me… was Kennishiro Tomoko. My heart stopped as I looked at my father for the first time in those years he has been absent in my life. Though the lights were dimly lit I could still see him properly, all in his business suit and suede shoes, there he sat comfortably with an air of confidence I have never felt in myself. The limousine door slammed shut, the engine purred to life and I was at loss of words for this unexpected meeting.
~To be continued~
This is purely a fan-fiction.
------------------notes------------------
It’s really hard to get into a guys mind, sometimes I had to do this character exercises (as Stephenie Meyer put it) just to come up with how a guy would think. Observation helps a lot too, but since not all guys are the same and that my main character is a bit weird in the inside not on the outside, it’s a bit complicated to come up with good thoughts. Man thoughts that actually make sense. Oh well… This is just me.
Me and my ramblings. Enjoy the next chapter ^_^v