Weeks Later
Akanishi Mansion
Akanishi Mansion
Yamapi and Kazuya are walking down the hall to see Jin in his offices. Their secretaries are trailing behind them talking about their schedules for the week, when Kazuya sees a maid coming out of Jin’s room. He runs towards her. Yamapi, after noticing that Kazuya has wondered off, tells the secretaries to take a break and catches up with Kazuya.
The maid places a tray of food on the cart. She notices Kazuya and Yamapi and greets them, “Konnichiwa Kamenashi-sama, Yamashita-sama.”
“Konnichiwa.” both reply.
“How is she?” Kazuya asks.
The maid looks dreamily at both men and replies, “She hasn’t eaten since they brought her here. She won’t even touch her food. If she goes on like this, she’ll be sick by the end of this week.”
Kazuya picks up the tray from the cart. Yamapi places his hand on Kazuya’s arm and says, “What do you think you’re doing?”
Kame ignores him and turns to the maid. “Let me give it a try.” he says.
The maid protest, “I’m sorry, but I have strict orders. I don’t think Akanishi-sama would be pleased if I let you see her.”
Kazuya looks at Yamapi signaling him to handle the situation. Yamapi gives him a “you owe me” face, and places his arm around the maid’s shoulders. He looks her in the eyes and tells her, “Do you really think it’s necessary to tell Jin about this?” The maid blushes as she shakes her head, “No.” Yamapi whispers in her ear and she begins to giggle. Kazuya slips into the room as the maid falls into a state of euphoria.
Inside the room, he sees Hatsumi sitting by the window. The maid has dressed her in a white sundress. Her hair is loose and brilliantly shinning under light from the window.
Kazuya sets the food down next to Sumi, and begins to eat it. Neither of them would say a word. Suddenly, Sumi’s stomach breaks the silence with a loud grumble.
Kazuya starts to laugh and says, “You can have some if you want.” He looks at Sumi and sees the fear in her eyes. “Don’t worry. I won’t do anything to you.” he assures her as he pushes the tray in her direction.
Sumi stares at the plate of sushi. She hasn’t eaten in days and the food looks so delicious. She can hear the sushi calling her name. Her mouth begins to water, and her hand, as if it has a mind of its own, snatches a piece of sushi. She observes Kazuya as she takes a bite of her food; then, after gathering up all her courage, she asks, “Who are you?”
Kazuya looks up from his plate. His face is stuffed. He quickly reaches for the water and swallows. He smiles and answers, “Kamenashi Kazuya desu.”
Sumi couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh. She tries to suppress it and asks, “What are you doing here?”
“Eating.” he replies innocently.
Sumi keeps asking Kazuya questions, and the more he answers, the more she laughs. For a few moments, she forgot where she is and what her situation is.
Yamapi walks into the room wiping the lipstick off his face. “You owe me big time Kazuya,” he says interrupting Kame and Sumi.
“Come on. Why should I owe you for letting you do what you do best?” Kazuya replies with a grin.
“Whatever.” Yamapi replies. “Let’s just go. Jin’s waiting for us.” he says as he walks out of the room.
Kazuya looks at Sumi with a smile on his face, but it soon fades when he sees her expression. She looks as if she’s been betrayed. “How could I laugh with an enemy’s friend?” she thinks.
“He’s not a bad person you know.” Kazuya tells Sumi.
She looks at him straight in the eyes and says, “You’re kidding, right?”
She looks at him straight in the eyes and says, “You’re kidding, right?”
“He has his reason…”
“Like what? Good people don’t abduct innocent people and force themselves on them. What did I ever do to him?” she tells him, with eyes that are filled with tears.
“I’m sorry. I wish I can tell you.” Kazuya replies as he hands her his handkerchief. “You’ll find out when the right time comes.” He turns around and heads for the door. Before he exits the room, he tells her in a solemn voice, “I hope you’ll understand.
That Night
Jin’s Room
Jin’s Room
Jin comes in to change. He seems to be in a rush. Sumi, sitting by the window, tries to ignore him, but she couldn’t help following him with her eyes. After changing into a new suit, he heads for the door without even looking at her. He sees Kazuya’s handkerchief on the table. He turns his head enough that Sumi could see the side of his face and says, “You’re not a prisoner in this room. You can walk around if you want.”
Jin leaves Sumi alone in the room. As he walks down the hall, he keeps seeing her face.
When she was certain that Jin is gone, she slips into the hallway. Inside Jin’s rooms, it’s timeless, but outside it’s totally different. Maids and butlers walking back and forth like cars in a busy highway. No one seems to care that she’s there; everyone is working as if there’s no tomorrow. She walks into every rooms and looks out every window looking for a way to escape, but the more she looks, the more she losses hope. The scenery outside couldn’t he any less familiar to her. There are no buildings near the house to even hint where she is. She could be hundreds of kilometers away from home, from her friends, from Yuya…
Sumi keeps walking without any idea where she is and finds herself in a huge room. It’s filled with books, and there’s a grand piano by the fire place. There were chairs set up facing the grand piano. It’s as if they’re there for an audience to watch the person playing. Hatsumi walks to the piano and stokes a key. She notices a music sheet on top of the fire place. The title reads, “Reio’s Song.”
Sumi looks up and sees the portrait above the chimney. In it, there’s a woman with two young boys. The woman in the picture is stunning. She’s young with long black hair and a slender figure. The two boys looks so much like her. “There’s something so somber about the picture,” she thought as she stares at the portrait.
An interesting noise suddenly catches her attention. Sumi peaks through the door and sees a woman in the other room making a commotion. She’s wearing a red tube top, a micro mini skirt and high heels. “Where is he?” the woman demands an answer.
“Dizon-sama, Akanishi-sama isn’t here,” Hatsumi can here the maids explain. “He just left for work,” the maid adds.
“Do you idiots think that I’m stupid? Where is he? I know he’s hiding some tramp in here.” the woman says irritated.
Kazuya and Yamapi show up. One of the maids called Jin and he sent the two to handle things.
“Leah!” Sumi hears Kamenashi’s voice. “You look as beautiful as ever.”
The woman’s name is Leah Dizon. She’s a famous porn star who thinks of herself as Jin’s girlfriend, but the truth is, Jin could care less about her. For him, she’s just someone who’s there to fill his needs. In other words, she’s just another whore.
“Kazuya cut the crap,” she replies. “Where’s Jin?”
“He’s still at work, but since you’re already here, why don’t we have some drinks?” Kazuya responds after noticing that Sumi is in the other room. He looks at Yamapi hinting what he has discovered.
Yamapi, understanding what Kazuya wanted to say says, “Would you excuse me for a moment? I have something to take care of.” Yamapi walks out of the room and uses the other door to the piano room.
Hatsumi sees Kame whisper something in to Leah’s ear and she giggles. Within a few minutes, Kazuya has already gotten her to start laughing. She couldn’t help herself. She just had to flirt with him.
Sumi, listening to the conversation, didn’t realize that Yamapi has entered the room. “we meet again,” he says. She looks at him without saying a word. She couldn’t believe her eyes. He gently takes Sumi’s hand and kisses it.
“So you knew him all this time?” Sumi asks. “Did you two plan the whole thing over some whisky?” she asks sarcastically.
Yamapi was one of her father’s advisers. He quit his job two years ago. “I didn’t know until recently, but you’re not gonna believe me anyway.”
“How long have you known him?” she asks.
“Longer than I’ve known your dad,” he answers.
Sumi looks at the portrait again. “That’s Jin with his mom and his little brother Reio.” Yamapi says as if reading her mind.
“So where is he? Staying away from his perverted brother or doing his planning his own crimes?” Hatsumi replies out of anger.
“He was killed trying to save someone two years ago. He was about your age at the time,” Yamapi replies gloomily.
Sumi, ashamed of what she said, remains silent.
Kamenashi walks into the room without any idea what’s been going on. “I got rid of her,” he says with a smile on his face.
Yamapi takes Sumi by the hand and says, “Come on. We’ll walk you back to your room.”
Three Days Later
Akanishi Mansion
Akanishi Mansion
It’s been weeks since she was abducted, but she still hasn’t found a way to escape. The good thing is, she barely sees Jin. She can’t stand the sight of him. He makes her feel dirty; he makes her hate herself for letting him do what he did, for being weak…
Kamenashi usually comes to see her. His visits always cheer her up. Had they met in a different situation, they could have been great friends. They talk about many things, but almost never about Jin. As soon as Kazuya mentions his name, the dynamics of their conversation change.
Yamapi also visits her, but he only talks to her when Kame’s not around. Unlike Kame, Yamapi can mention Jin without totally upsetting Sumi. It’s probably because Kame’s always insisting that Jin is a good guy, while Yamapi just simply answers her questions without condemning or condoning Jin. Although, she has spent a lot of time talking to both men, neither of them ever tells her more than she asks.
As Hatsumi walks down the hallway, she notices that all the maids are working extra hard today. Every room is being vacuumed, every curtain is being replace, every silver is being polish and every bush is being trimmed to perfection. Hatsumi, distracted by the ant-like behavior of the house helps, runs into a maid carrying a vacuum cleaner.
“Gomenasia!” the maid bows to the ground.
“No. It’s okay. It was my fault,” Sumi replies. “Ano…What’s going on?”
“Ah!” the maid smiles. “Akanishi-sama is hosting a party tonight and all the bosses will be here so we every guest room has to be cleaned.” She picks up the vacuum cleaner and says, “Well, I have to get going.”
“Bosses?” Sumi thought, but no one seems to have time to answer her question.
At the end of the hall, she sees the woman from the other day. She’s wearing a tube dress that’s a little too tight and too short for her. Two maids are walking behind her, carrying what seems to be a dress.
As they walk towards Sumi, she can hear the woman talking to the maid, “Be careful with my dress you idiots. It cost more than both of you combined. If anything happens to it, you can start looking for a new job.”
Sumi tries to stay out of her sight, but the woman has already spotted her. She turns to the maid and asks, “Who is that?”
“Her name is Hatsumi. Akanishi-sama brought her here about a week ago,” the maid replies.
Leah begins to walk towards Sumi. The maid trailing behind says, “I don’t think it’s a good idea to talk to her Dizon-sama. Akanishi-sama doesn’t let a lot of people near her.”
One of the maids runs to get Yamapi, Jin, and Kame. They know that Leah’s bound to start a scene.
Leah approaches Sumi and says, “So you’re the reason why he hasn’t been seeing me?” She continues without letting Hatsumi answer, “Is this some kind of joke? I mean look at you. I can’t believe Jin would stoop to your level. And what’s with the innocent look? Is that what whores are wearing these days?”
Hatsumi looks at Leah Dizon and lets out a chuckle, “We’ll if it is, then shouldn’t you be dressed like me?”
Leah is about to charge at Sumi, but the maid tries to restrain her. The maid tells Sumi, “Please, just go.”
Sumi doesn’t listen and lets out her resentment of Jin on Leah. She smiles at her and says, “So he hasn’t been seeing you? I guess he prefers classy women over promiscuous whores.”
Sumi doesn’t listen and lets out her resentment of Jin on Leah. She smiles at her and says, “So he hasn’t been seeing you? I guess he prefers classy women over promiscuous whores.”
Leah annoyed by Sumi’s response frees herself from the maid. She charges at Sumi, raises her hand to smack her.
Sumi readies herself for the hit and turns her face away. There’s no way that she could dodge it. She closes her eyes and waits for Leah’s palm, but it never gets there. Sumi opens her eyes and sees Jin in front of her, holding Leah’s arm. He has been watching the whole time.
“Jin!” Leah says, “Did you hear what she just said to me?”
“Yes,” Jin replies without any emotion.
“Aren’t you gonna do anything about it?” Leah asks infuriated.
Jin turns around and tells Sumi, “Go back to my room. We’ll talk later.”
As much as Sumi wanted to disobey him, as much as she hated him, she still went back to the room.
When Sumi leaves, Leah hugs Jin and says, “I knew you prefer me over her. So how are we gonna get rid of that tramp? I have plenty of ideas I can share with you over dinner.”
Jin takes her paws off of him and pushes her away. He looks at her in the eyes and says, “I’m not your servant so don’t ever tell me what to do.” He pauses and grabs her by the neck and says with a fear-provoking voice, “I don’t want you to come near her from now on. If you get as much as twenty feet near her, I’ll throw you into the streets.”
He gives her a cold gaze and leaves her frozen on the spot.
As Jin walks away, Leah transforms her hands into fists and thinks, “This isn’t over bitch. I’ll make sure you pay for this.”
